FROEBEL'S  GIFTS 

BY  KTSTe   DOUGLAS  WIGGIN 
7SND  NOR?!:  ARCHIBALD  SMITH 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE    BIRDS'    CHRISTMAS    CAROL.        Illustrated. 

Square  i2mo,  boards,  50  cents. 
THE    STORY   OF    PATSY.   Illustrated.  Square  i2mo, 

boards,  60  cents. 
A    SUMMER     IN    A    CA^ON.      A    California   Story. 

Illustrated.     i6mo,  $1.25. 
TIMOTHY'S   QUEST.     A  Story  for  Anybody,  Young 

or  Old,  who  cares  to  read  it.     i6mo,  $1.00. . 
THE    SAME.      New     Holiday     Edition,      Illustrated. 

Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 
THE    STORY    HOUR.     A    Book   for  the    Home   and 

Kindergarten.      By    Mrs.    WIGGIN    and    NORA    A. 

SMITH.     Illustrated.     i6mo,  $1.00. 
CHILDREN'S  RIGHTS.     By  Mrs.  WIGGIN  and  NORA 

A.  SMITH.     A  Book  of  Nursery  Logic.     i6mo,  #1.00. 
A    CATHEDRAL   COURTSHIP   AND    PENELOPE'S 

ENGLISH     EXPERIENCES.      Illustrated.      i6mo, 

$1.00. 
POLLY   OLIVER'S    PROBLEM.     Illustrated.      i6mo, 

$1.00. 

THE   VILLAGE   WATCH-TOWER.     i6mo,  $1.00. 
FROEBEL'S   GIFTS.     By  Mrs.  WIGGIN  and  NORA  A. 

SMITH.     i6mo. 

HOUGHTON,   MIFFLIN  &  CO. 
BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK. 


THE 

REPUBLIC   OF   CHILDHOOD 

BY 

KATE  DOUGLAS  WIGGIN 

,     AND 

NORA   ARCHIBALD    SMITH 


I 
FROEBELS  GIFTS 


€f)e  ftepulrtic  of 

The  Kindergarten  is  the  free  republic  of  childhood.  —  FROEBEL 


FROEBEL'S  GIFTS 


BY 
KATE  DOUGLAS  WIGGIN 

AND 

NORA  ARCHIBALD    SMITH 


The  true  teacher  is  a  student  of  human 
nature,  and  the  student  of  human  nature  is 
the  pupil  of  God.  —  HORATIO  STEBBINS 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY 


1895 


Copyright,  1895, 

BY  KATE  DOUGLAS  RIGGS 

AND 
NORA  ARCHIBALD   SMITH. 


All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  0.  Houghton  and  Company. 


PREFACE 


THE  three  little  volumes  on  that  Republic  of 
Childhood,  the  kindergarten,  of  which  this  hand- 
book, dealing  with  the  gifts,  forms  the  initial 
number,  might  well  be  called  Chips  from  a  Kin- 
dergarten Workshop.  They  are  the  outcome  of 
talks  and  conferences  on  Froebel's  educational 
principles  with  successive  groups  of  earnest  young 
women  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  for  fifteen 
years,  and  represent  as  much  practical  work  at 
the  bench  as  a  carpenter  could  show  in  a  similar 
length  of  time.  They  are  the  result  of  mutual 
give  and  take,  of  question  and  answer,  of  effort 
and  experience,  of  the  friction  of  minds  against 
one  another,  of  ideas  struck  out  in  the  heat  of 
argument,  and  of  varied  experience  with  many 
hundred  little  children  of  all  nationalities  and 
conditions.  They  are  not  theories,  written  in  the 
seclusion  of  the  study;  and  if  perchance  they 
have  the  defects,  so  should  they  have  the  virtues, 


Vl  PREFACE 

too,  of  work  corrected  and  revised  at  every  step 
by  the  "child  in  the  midst."  If  it  is  objected 
that  many  things  in  them  have  been  heard  before, 
we  can  but  say  with  Montaigne :  "  Truth  and 
reason  are  common  to  every  one,  and  are  no  more 
his  who  spake  them  first  than  his  who  spake  them 
after." 

The  various  talks  have  been  cut  down  here, 
enlarged  there,  condensed  in  one  place,  amplified 
in  another,  from  year  to  year,  as  knowledge  and 
experience  have  grown  ;  many  of  the  ideas  which 
they  advocated  in  the  beginning  have  been  elimi- 
nated, as  being  completely  reversed  by  the  passage 
of  time,  and  much  new  matter  has  been  added  as 
the  kindergarten  principle  has  developed.  They 
are  as  much  a  growth  as  a  coral  reef,  though  the 
authors  have  little  hope  that  they  will  be  as 
enduring. 

The  kindergarten  of  1895  is  not  the  kinder- 
garten of  1880,  for  the  science  of  education  has 
made  great  strides  in  these  past  fifteen  years. 
Many  things  which  were  held  to  be  vital  prin- 
ciples when  we  began  our  talks  with  kindergarten 
students,  we  now  find  were  but  lifeless  methods 
after  all.  It  is  not  that  time  has  reversed  the 
fundamental  principles  on  which  the  kindergarten 


PREFACE  vii 

rests,  —  these  are  as  true  as  truth  and  as  change- 
less ;  but  the  interpretation  of  them  has  greatly 
changed  and  broadened  with  the  passage  of  years, 
and  many  of  the  instrumentalities  of  education 
which  Froebel  devised  are  destined  to  further 
transformation  in  the  future.  For  this  reason, 
the  last  book  on  the  kindergarten  is  sometimes 
the  best  book,  since  it  naturally  embodies  the 
latest  thought  and  discovery  on  the  subject. 

These  talks  on  the  kindergarten  have  purposely 
been  divested  of  a  certain  amount  of  technicality 
and  detail,  in  the  hope  that  they  will  thus  reach 
not  only  kindergarten  students,  but  the  many 
mothers  and  teachers  who  really  long  to  know 
what  Froebel's  system  of  education  is  and  what  it 
aims  to  do.  They  will  never  of  themselves  make 
a  kindergartner,  and  are  not  intended  to  do  so ; 
but  they  certainly  should  shed  some  light  on 
Froebel's  theories,  and  establish  a  basis  on  which 
they  can  be  worked  out  in  the  home  and  in  the 
school. 

"We  shall  attempt  no  defense  of  the  kindergar- 
ten here.  It  has  passed  the  experimental  stage ; 
it  is  no  longer  on  trial  for  its  life ;  and  no  longer 
humbly  begging,  hat  in  hand,  for  a  place  to  lay 
its  head.  As  an  educational  idea,  it  is  a  recog- 


viii  PREFACE 

nized  part  of  the  great  system  of  child-training ; 
and  to  say,  in  this  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  ninety-five,  that  one  does  not 
believe  in  the  kindergarten  is  as  if  one  said,  I  do 
not  believe  in  electricity,  or,  I  never  saw  much 
force  in  the  law  of  gravitation. 

True,  Froebel's  ideas  are  often  misinterpreted 
and  misapplied ;  often  espoused  by  ignorant  and 
sentimental  persons ;  often  degraded  in  their  prac- 
tical application;  true,  the  ideal  kindergarten 
and  the  ideal  kindergartner  are  seldom  seen  — 
(though  they  are  worth  traveling  a  thousand  miles 
to  see)  —  all  this  is  true,  and  no  one  knows  it 
better  than  we ;  but  that  a  divine  idea  is  wrongly 
used  does  not  invalidate  its  divinity. 

That  kindergarten  principles  are  gaining  ground 
everywhere ;  that  every  year  more  free  and  pri- 
vate kindergartens  are  established,  more  training 
schools  opened,  more  students  applying  for  in- 
struction, more  books  written  on  the  subject, 
more  educational  periodicals  seeking  for  kinder- 
garten articles,  more  cities  adding  it  to  their 
school  systems,  more  normal  schools  giving  courses 
in  kindergarten  training,  more  mothers  and  teach- 
ers seeking  for  light  on  Froebel's  principles,  —  all 
these  are  matters  of  statistics  which  any  one  may 


PEEFACE  ix 

verify  by  consulting  the  Reports  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Education  and  the  various  educational 
magazines. 

Our  modest  volumes,  of  which  the  second  will 
deal  with  the  occupations,  the  third  with  the 
educational  theories  of  Froebel,  do  not  claim  to 
be  deeply  philosophic,  nor  even  to  be  exhaustive. 
They  are,  in  a  sense,  what  is  called  a  "  popular  " 
treatise  on  a  scientific  subject ;  and  though  some 
scientists  decry  such  treatises,  yet  there  are  many 
persons  to  whom  a  simple  message  carries  more 
conviction  than  a  purely  philosophic  one. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  psychologic  principles  on 
which  the  talks  rest  are  at  least  measurably  cor- 
rect, though  when  doctors  disagree  on  vital  points, 
how  shall  the  layman  know  the  extent  of  his  own 
ignorance  ? 

The  authors  have  always  been  of  a  humble  and 
docile  spirit,  and  in  the  earlier  years  of  their 
work  with  children,  looking  upon  all  treatises  on 
education  as  inspired,  tried  faithfully  to  make  the 
child's  mind  work  according  to  the  laws  therein 
laid  down.  But  sometimes  the  child's  mind  obsti- 
nately declined  to  follow  the  prescribed  route ;  it 
refused  to  begin  at  the  proper  beginning  of  a 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THOUGHTS  ON  THE  GIFTS  OF  FROEBEL  . 

FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT 

FROEBEL'S  SECOND  GIFT "1 

THE  BUILDING  GIFTS 

FROEBEL'S  THIRD  GIFT ^ 

FROEBEL'S  FOURTH  GIFT 

FROEBEL'S  FIFTH  GIFT 89 

FROEBEL'S  SIXTH  GIFT  . 

FROEBEL'S  SEVENTH  GIFT 12^ 

FROEBEL'S  EIGHTH  GIFT 

FROEBEL'S  NINTH  GIFT 15® 

FROEBEL'S  TENTH  GIFT 

GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  THE  GIFTS          .        •        •        .189 


FROEBEL'S  GIFTS 


THOUGHTS   ON  THE   GIFTS   OF   FROEBEL 

"A  CORRECT  comprehension  of  external,  material 
things  is  a  preliminary  to  a  just  comprehension 
of  intellectual  relations."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  The  A,  B,  C  of  things  must  precede  the  A, 
B,  C  of  words,  and  give  to  the  words  (abstrac- 
tions) their  true  foundations.  It  is  because  these 
foundations  fail  so  often  in  the  present  time  that 
there  are  so  few  men  who  think  independently 
and  express  skillfully  their  inborn  divine  ideas." 

FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  Perception  is  the  beginning  and  the  prelimi- 
nary condition  for  thinking.  One's  own  percep- 
tions awaken  one's  own  conceptions,  and  these 
awaken  one's  own  thinking  in  later  stages  of  de- 
velopment. Let  us  have  no  precocity,  but  natural, 
that  is  consecutive,  development." 

FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  Every  child  brings  with  him  into  the  world 
the  natural  disposition  to  see  correctly  what  is 
before  him,  or,  in  other  words,  the  truth.  If 


things  are  shown  to  him  in  their  connection,  his 
soul  perceives  them  thus  as  a  conception.  But 
if,  as  often  happens,  things  are  brought  before 
his  mind  singly,  or  piecemeal,  and  in  fragments, 
then  the  natural  disposition  to  see  correctly  is 
perverted  to  the  opposite,  and  the  healthy  mind 
is  perplexed."  FBIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"The  linking  together  which  is  everywhere 
seen,  and  which  holds  the  Universe  in  its  whole- 
ness and  unity,  the  eye  receives,  and  thereby 
receives  the  representation,  but  without  under- 
standing it  except  as  an  impression  and  an  image. 
But  these  first  impressions  are  the  root-fibres  for 
the  understanding  that  is  developed  later." 

FRIEDBICH  FBOEBEL. 

"The  correct  perception  is  a  preparation  for 
correct  knowing  and  thinking." 

FKIEDBICH  FROEBEL. 

"No  new  subject  of  instruction  should  come  to 
the  scholar,  of  which  he  does  not  at  least  conjec- 
ture that  it  is  grounded  in  the  former  subject, 
and  how  it  is  so  grounded  as  its  application 
shows,  and  concerning  which  he  does  not,  how- 
ever dimly,  feel  it  to  be  a  need  of  the  human 
spirit."  FBIEDBICH  FROEBEL. 

"The  sequences  which  the  child  builds,  as  well 
as  the  sequence  of  the  kindergarten  gifts,  point 
on  the  one  hand  to  physical  evolution,  wherein 
each  form  '  remembers  the  next  inferior  and  pre- 


THOUGHTS  ON   THE  GIFTS  OF  FROEBEL      3 

diets  the  next  higher,'  and  on  the  other  to  the 
process  of  historic  development,  which  magnifies 
the  present  by  linking  with  it  the  past  and  the 
future."  SUSAN  E.  BLOW. 

"Let  us  educate  the  senses,  train  the  faculty 
of  speech,  the  art  of  receiving,  storing,  and  ex- 
pressing impressions,  which  is  the  natural  gift  of 
infants,  and  we  shall  not  need  books  to  fill  up  the 
emptiness  of  our  teaching  until  the  child  is  at 
least  seven  years  old."  E.  SEGUIN. 

"As  soon  as  we,  young  or  old,  have  taken  to 
the  habit  of  asking  the  book  for  what  it  is  in  our 
power  to  learn  from  personal  observation,  we 
dismiss  our  organs  of  perception  and  comprehen- 
sion from  their  righteous  charge,  and  cover  the 
emptiness  of  our  own  minds  with  the  patchwork 
of  others."  E.  SEGUIN. 

"Natural  geometry  (taking  the  word  in  its 
limited  sense  of  study  of  form  in  space)  is  the 
object  of  a  desire  which  generally  precedes  the 
artificial  curiosity  for  the  meaning  of  letters." 

E.  SEGUIN. 

"Without  an  accurate  acquaintance  with  the 
visible  and  tangible  properties  of  things,  our 
conceptions  must  be  erroneous,  our  inferences 
fallacious,  and  our  operations  unsuccessful." 

HERBERT  SPENCER. 

"The  truths  of  number,  of  form,  of  relation- 
ship in  position,  were  all  originally  drawn  from 


4      THOUGHTS   ON   THE  GIFTS   OF  FROEBEL 

objects;  and  to  present  these  truths  to  the  child 
in  the  concrete  is  to  let  him  learn  them  as  the 
race  learned  them."  HERBERT  SPENCER. 

"If  we  consider  it,  we  shall  find  that  exhaust- 
ive observation  is  an  element  of  all  great  suc- 
cess." HERBERT  SPENCER. 

"Learn  to  comprehend  each  thing  in  its  entire 
history.  This  is  the  maxim  of  science  guided  by 
the  reason."  WM.  T.  HARRIS. 

"  Geometrical  facts  and  conceptions  are  easier 
to  a  child  than  those  of  arithmetic." 

THOMAS  HILL. 

"Instruction  must  begin  with  actual  inspec- 
tion, not  with  verbal  descriptions  of  things. 
From  such  inspection  it  is  that  certain  knowledge 
comes.  What  is  actually  seen  remains  faster  in 
the  memory  than  description  or  enumeration  a 
hundred  times  as  often  repeated."  COMENIUS. 

"  Observation  is  the  absolute  basis  of  all  know- 
ledge. The  first  object,  then,  in  education,  must 
be  to  lead  the  child  to  observe  with  accuracy; 
the  second,  to  express  with  correctness  the  re- 
sults of  his  observation."  PESTALOZZI. 

"If  in  the  external  universe  any  one  construc- 
tive principle  can  be  detected,  it  is  the  geometri- 
cal. ' '  BULWER-LYTTON. 

"The  education  of  the  senses  neglected,  all 
after-education  partakes  of  a  drowsiness,  a  hazi- 


THOUGHTS  ON  THE  GIFTS  OF  FEOEBEL   5 

ness,  an  insufficiency,  which  it  is  impossible  to 
cure."  LORD  BACON. 

"Of  this  thing  be  certain:  Wouldst  thou  plant 
for  eternity?  Then  plant  into  the  deep  infinite 
faculties  of  man,  his  fantasy  and  heart.  Wouldst 
thou  plant  for  year  and  day?  Then  plant  into 
his  shallow,  superficial  faculties,  his  self-love, 
and  arithmetical  understanding,  what  will  grow 
there."  THOS.  CARLYLE. 


FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT 

"I  wish  to  find  the  right  forms  for  awakening1  the  higher 
senses  of  the  child  :  what  symbol  does  my  ball  offer  to  him  ? 
That  of  unity." 

"  The  ball  connects  the  child  with  nature  as  much  as  the  uni- 
verse connects  man  with  God."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  Line  in  nature  is  not  found,  Unit  and  Universe  are  round." 
"Nature  centres  into  balls."  R.  W.  EMERSON. 

"  From  thy  hand 

The  worlds  were  cast ;  yet  every  leaflet  claims 
From  that  same  hand  its  little  shining  sphere 
Of  starlit  dew."  O.  W.  HOLMES. 

"  The  Small,  a  sphere  as  perfect  as  the  Great 
To  the  soul's  absoluteness." 

ROBERT  BROWNING. 

1.  THE  first  gift   consists  of    six  soft  woolen 
balls  colored  in  the  six  standard  colors  derived 
from  the  spectrum,  namely,  red,  orange,  yellow, 
green,  blue,  and  violet. 

The  balls  should  be  provided  with  strings  for 
use  in  the  various  motions.1 

2.  Froebel  chose  the  ball  as  the  first  gift  be- 
cause it  is  the  simplest  shape,  and  the  one  from 
which  all  others  may  subsequently  be  derived ; 

1  "  The  string  unites  the  ball,  symbol  of  the  outer  world,  with 
the  child,  and  is  the  means  by  which  it  can  act  upon  his  inner 
nature."  (E.  G.  Seymour.) 


FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT  ( 

the  shape  most  easily  grasped  by  the  hand  as  well 
as  by  the  mind.  It  is  an  object  which  attracts 
by  its  pleasing  color,  and  one  which,  viewed  from 
all  directions,  ever  makes  the  same  impression.1 

3.  The  most  important  characteristics  of  the 
gift  are  Unity,  Activity,  Color. 

The  various  colors  serve  to  distinguish  these 
several  playmates  of  the  child  by  special  charac- 
teristics, and  enable  him  to  make  his  first  clear 
analyses  or  abstractions,  since  the  color  is  the 
only  point  wherein  the  objects  differ.  This  con- 
trast in  color  results  in  the  abstraction  of  color 
from  form. 

4.  Since  the  ball  is  the  most  mobile  of  inani- 
mate shapes,  it  may  be  considered  as  the  "oppo- 
site equal "  of  the  living  organism.     The  quick- 
ness and  ease  of  its  motion  as  well  as  its  elasticity 
cause  the  child  to  regard  it  as  instinct  with  life, 
while  its  softness  renders  him  able  to  grasp  and 
handle  it  readily. 

Its  material  is  also  of  great  advantage  in  that 
it  lessens  the  possibility  of  startling  noises  which 
would  distract  the  child  from  the  contemplation 
of  its  qualities.  By  its  use,  he  is  first  led  to 
observation,  and  then  to  self-expression.  As  the 

1  "  The  Egyptians  and  the  Greeks  hung  geometrical  forms 
over  their  cradles,  so  as  to  strike  the  eyes  of  the  child  with  law- 
ful relations.  Froebel  introduces  colored  balls  for  the  same 
purpose,  which,  considering  the  psychological  and  emotional  con- 
dition of  the  child,  leads  to  the  joyful  conception  of  motion, 
color,  and  life."  (Emma  Marwedel.) 


8  FROEBEVS  FIRST  GIFT 

simplest  type-form  as  well  as  the  most  universal, 
it  offers  a  satisfactory  basis  for  the  classification 
of  objects  in  general ;  while  its  indefiniteness  and 
adaptability  make  it  a  useful  medium  for  the 
expression  of  the  child's  vague  ideas.  With  the 
ball  we  give  first  impressions  of  Unity,  Form, 
Color,  Material ,  Mobility,  Motion,  Direction, 
and  Position.  The  ball  songs  and  plays  are 
used  as  the  first  exercises  in  language,*  singing, 
and  rhythm. 

5.  As  the  kindergarten  gifts  are  designed  to 
serve  as  an  alphabet  of  form,  by  whose  use  the 
child  may  learn  to  read  all  material  objects,  it 
follows  that  they  must  form  an  organically  con- 
nected sequence,  moving  in  logical  order  from  an 
object  which  contains  all  qualities,  but  directly 
emphasizes  none,  to  objects  more  specialized  in 
nature,  and  therefore  more  definitely  suggestive 
as  to  use. 

"Each  successive  gift  in  the  series  must  not 
only  be  implicit  in,  but  demanded  by,  its  prede- 
cessor;" so  Froebel  selects  the  ball,  with  its  sim- 
plicity but  great  adaptability,  for  the  starting- 
point  of  his  series. 

6.  Connected  contrasts  of  Motion,  Direction, 
and  Position   are  shown  in   the  first   gift.     By 
the  use  of  pigments,  the  so-called  secondary  col- 
ors, purple,  orange,  and  green,  may  be  produced 
from  the  opposite  hues,  red  and  blue,  red  and 
yellow,  and  blue  and  yellow. 


FROEBEVS  FIRST  GIFT  9 

"The  mind  is  aroused  to  attention  and  led  to 
comparison  by  contrasts;  on  the  groundwork  of 
comparison,  it  is  enabled  to  do  the  work  of  clas- 
sification, of  clear  abstraction,  of  the  formation 
of  definite  ideas  by  the  connection  of  these  con- 
trasts."1 


"The  presentiment  of  truth  always  goes  before 
the   recognition  of    it,"    says  Froebel; 

* 


-11  •<•     •  Universal 

and  it  would  seem,  indeed,  as  if,  in  se-  Plaything. 
lecting  the  first  gift,  he  looked  far  back  into  the 
past  of  humanity,   and  there  sought  the   thread 
which  from  the  beginning  connects  all  times  and 
leads  to  the  farthest  future. 

"The  ball  is  the  last  plaything  of  men,  as 
well  as  the  first  with  children."  In  Kreutzer's 
"Symbolik"  we  read  that  the  educators  of  the 
young  god  Bacchus  gave  him  golden  balls  to  play 

1  "  Suppose,  e.  g.,  that  the  child,  by  dint  of  repeated  and  va- 
ried playing1  with  the  blue  ball  of  the  first  gift,  has  succeeded 
in  getting-  a  tolerably  clear  notion  of  the  blue  ball.  If  then 
you  bring  the  yellow  ball  to  his  notice,  his  mind  will  be  led  to 
examine  more  closely  and  to  compare  the  two  playthings,  re- 
sembling1 each  other  so  fully  in  every  respect,  yet  differing1  so 
widely  in  color.  The  other  balls  of  the  gift  are  introduced  in 
judicious  succession,  offering  new  yet  milder  contrasts  :  these 
reconcile,  combine,  the  contrasts  first  offered  ;  they  are  aided 
in  this  by  the  colors  of  surrounding-  objects.  The  child  beg-ins 
to  feel  that  these  color  impressions,  however  widely  they  differ, 
have  a  similar  source  ;  he  is  connecting  the  contrasts,  and  as 
he  succeeds  in  this,  he  succeeds,  too,  in  separating,  abstracting, 
the  ball  from  its  color."  (W.  N.  Hailmann.) 


10  FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT 

with,  and  also  that  the  youthful  princes  of  Persia 
played  with  them,  and  alone  had  this  privilege. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  we  find  balls  even 
among  the  remains  of  the  Lake  Dwellers  of 
Northern  Italy  and  Switzerland,  while  small, 
round  balls,  resembling  marbles,  have  been  found 
in  the  early  Egyptian  tombs.  The  Teutons  made 
ball-plays  national,  and  built  houses  in  which  to 
indulge  in  these  exercises  in  all  sections  of  Ger- 
many, as  late  as  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. The  ancient  Aztecs  used  the  game  of  ball 
as  a  training  in  warfare  for  the  young  men  of 
the  nation;  and  that  it  was  considered  of  great 
importance  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  trib- 
ute exacted  by  a  certain  Aztec  monarch  from  some 
of  the  cities  conquered  by  him  consisted  of  balls, 
and  amounted  to  sixteen  thousand  annually. 

The  ball  entered  into  many  of  the  favorite 
games  alike  of  the  Greeks  and  the  Romans,  the 
former  having  a  special  place  in  their  gymna- 
siums and  a  special  master  for  it.  It  may 
be  noted  also  that  nearly  all  our  modern  sports 
are  based  upon  the  effort  to  get  possession  of  a 
ball. 

Froebel  considered  the  ball  as  an  external 
Froebei's  counterpart  of  the  child  in  the  first 

Ideas  of  . 

First  Gift,  stages  ot  his  development,  its  undivided 
unity  corresponding  to  his  mental  condition, 
and  its  movableness  to  his  instinctive  activity. 
Through  its  recognition  he  is  led  to  separate 


FEOEBEUS  FIEST  GIFT  11 

himself  from  the  external  world,  and  the  exter- 
nal world  from  himself.1 

Froebel's  intention  was  that  the  first  gift 
should  be  used  in  the  nursery,2  but  as  this  is  for 
the  most  part  neglected,  or  imperfectly  and  un- 
wisely done,  we  begin  the  series  of  kindergarten 
play-lessons  with  it,  illustrating  its  qualities  and 
asking  questions  concerning  them,  always  diver- 
sifying the  exercises  with  rhymes,  games,  and 
songs.  We  must  remember  that  to  the  young 
child,  as  to  primitive  man,  the  activity  of  an 
object  is  more  pleasing  than  its  qualities,  and  we 
should  therefore  devise  a  series  of  games  with  the 
fascinating  plaything  which  will  lead  the  child 
to  learn  these  qualities  by  practical  experience. 

Before  beginning  any  exercise  we  should  fully 
decide  in  our  own  minds  the  main  point  Manner  of 
or  points  to   be  brought  out,  —  Color,   tion. 
Form,  or  Direction,  for  example ;  then,  and  only 
then,  will  the  child  gain  a  clear,  definite  impres- 

1  "  But  as  he  grows  he  gathers  much, 

And  learns  the  use  of  '  I '  and  '  me,' 
And  finds  '  I  am  not  that  I  see, 
And  other  than  the  things  I  touch.' 

"  So  rounds  he  to  a  separate  mind 

From  whence  clear  memory  may  beg-in, 
v  As  through  the  frame  that  binds  him  in 

His  isolation  grows  defined." 

Tennyson's  In  Memoriam. 

2  Many  suggestions  for  the  use  of  the  ball  in  the  nursery  may 
be  found  in  Froebel's  Pedagogics  of  the  Kindergarten,  translated 
by  Josephine  Jarvis. 


12  FEOEBEVS  FIRST  GIFT 

sion,  and  have  a  distinct  remembrance  of  what 
we  have  been  trying  to  teach.  By  way  of  di- 
version, every  song  or  rhyme  in  which  the  ball 
can  play  a  symbolic  part  in  action,  and  illus- 
trate the  point  we  wish  to  make,  is  of  use  in 
the  lessons.1 

With  this  dainty  colored  plaything  we  begin 
our  first  bit  of  education,  —  not  instruction,  mere 
pouring  in,  but  true  education,  drawing  out, 
developing.  The  balls  should  be  kept  in  a  pretty 
basket,  as  the  beautiful  should  be  cultivated  in 
every  way  in  the  true  kindergarten;  and  when 
they  are  given  to  the  class,  it  should  be  with 
some  little  song  sung  by  the  kindergartner  or 
one  of  the  older  children.  At  the  close  of  the 
lesson,  as  the  basket  is  passed,  each  child  may 
gently  drop  his  ball  into  it,  saying  simply, 
"Thank  you  for  my  ball,"  or  naming  its  color. 
At  other  times  they  may  be  called  by  the  names 
of  fruits  or  flowers,  the  child  saying,  "I  will 
give  you  a  cherry,"  or,  "I  will  give  you  a 
violet." 

The  qualities  of  the  ball  must  of  course  be 
Method  of  brought  before  the  child's  observation 

Introduc-          .  . 

tion.  m  some  more  or  less  definite  order,  and 

it  will  be  profitable  to  consider  the  relative  claims 
of  Form  and  Color  to  the  first  place. 

We  might  say,  correctly,  that  to  illustrate  the 

1  See  Kindergarten  Chimes  (Kate  D.  Wiggin),  pages  22-32, 
Oliver  Ditson  Publishing  Co. 


FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT  13 

ball,  we  should  begin  with  its  essential  qualities.1 
The  essential  quality  is  Unity.  Unity  depends 
on  Form,  and  the  ball's  form  never  changes; 
therefore  we  might  conclude  that  this  should  be 
the  first  subject  under  consideration,  since  we 
always  treat  of  the  universal  properties  of  objects 
before  special  ones,  proceeding  from  homogene- 
ous to  heterogeneous.  This  view  of  the  subject 
is  supported  by  Katich's  important  maxim,  "First 
the  thing,  and  then  its  properties." 

On  the  other  hand,  Conrad  Diehl  says :  "  Color 
is  the  first  sensation  of  which  an  infant  Conrad 
is  capable.  With  the  first  ray  of  light  DiehL 
that  enters  the  retina  of  the  eye,  the  presence  of 
color  forces  itself  on  the  mind.  .  .  .  When  light 
is  present,  color  is  present.  The  first  impression 
which  the  eye  receives  of  an  object  is  its  color; 
its  form  is  revealed  by  the  action  of  light  upon 
its  surfaces.  We  recognize  at  a  distance  the 
color  of  a  leaf,  an  apple,  a  flower  or  berry,  long 
before  we  are  able  distinctly  to  make  out  their 
forms.  In  the  absence  of  light,  neither  the  color 
nor  the  form  of  an  object  can  be  seen."  2 

1  "  The  infant  begins  to  examine  forms  from  the  commence- 
ment of  his  existence  ;  for  without  this  knowledge  it  is  doubtful 
if  he  could  distinguish  one  object  from  another,  or  even  be 
aware  of  an  external  world.     Gradually  he  begins  to  know  ob- 
jects apart  and  to  recognize  them,  and  in  time  discerns  resem- 
blances which  cause   him   to   classify  them."  —  W.  W.  Speer'a 
Form  Lessons. 

2  Conrad  Diehl's  Elements  of  Ornamentation  and  Color. 


14  FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT 

Spencer  says : 1  "  The  earliest  impressions  which 
Herbert  *ne  mind  can  assimilate  are  those  given 
spencer.  j.Q  -^  ^v  ^  un(jecompOSa^ie  sensations, 

resistance,  light,  sound,  etc.  Manifestly  decom- 
posable states  of  consciousness  cannot  exist  before 
the  states  of  consciousness  out  of  which  they  are 
composed.  There  can  be  no  idea  of  form  until 
some  familiarity  with  light  in  its  gradations  and 
qualities,  or  resistance  in  its  different  intensities, 
has  been  acquired ;  for,  as  has  long  been  known, 
we  recognize  visible  form  by  means  of  varieties 
of  light,  and  tangible  form  by  means  of  varieties 
of  resistance.  Similarly,  no  articulate  sound  is 
cognizable  until  the  inarticulate  sounds  which  go 
to  make  it  up  have  been  learned.  And  thus  must 
it  be  in  every  other  case."2 

The  balance  of  authority  seems  to  be,  on  the 
whole,  upon  the  side  of  presenting  color  first  to 
the  young  child,  as  we  appeal  to  the  emotions  at 
this  age  rather  than  to  the  intellect;  and  while 
the  senses  revel  in  color,  form  follows  more  the 
law  of  use.  Let  us  hear,  however,  what  the 
"  great  pioneer  of  child  study "  says 

Froebel.  ,  .  .  -^ 

upon  this  point.     1  roebel  says,  as   dis- 
tinct and  different  as  color  and  form  may  be  in 

1  Education,  page  130. 

2  "  That  priority  of  color  to  form  which,  as  already  pointed  out, 
has  a  psychological  basis,  and  in  virtue  of  which  psychological 
basis  arises  this  strong  preference  in  the  child,  should  be  recog- 
nized from  the  very  beginning."  —  Spencer's  Education. 


FROEBEL'S  FIEST  GIFT  15 

themselves,  they  are  to  the  young  child  indivis- 
ible, as  inseparable  as  body  and  life.  Nay,  the 
idea  of  color  seems  to  come  to  the  child,  as  per- 
haps to  mankind  in  general,  through  the  forms ; 
so,  on  the  other  hand,  the  forms  gain  promi- 
nence and  impressiveness  by  the  colors.  Hence 
ideas  of  colors  must  at  first  be  coupled  with  ideas 
of  form,  and  vice  versa;  color  and  form  are  in 
the  beginning  an  undivided  unity.1 

The  color  and  form  of  the  ball  being  indisso- 
lubly  blended  in  the  child's  eyes,  we  can  scarcely 
teach  them  separately  at  first.  We  may,  how- 
ever, consider  each  by  itself,  in  order  to  present 
the  subject  more  clearly. 

FORM. 

To  teach  form  in  an  interesting  manner,  to 
make  it  plain  to  the  child  without  giv- 

°  Form. 

ing  him  any  terms,  but  rather  coaxing 
him  by  ingenuity  to  formulate  his  own  know- 
ledge, is  a  difficult  thing  to  do,  and  should  not 


1  "  A  person  born  blind,  and  suddenly  enabled  to  see,  would  at 
first  have  no  conception  of  in  or  out  (of  eye),  and  would  be  con- 
scious of  colors  only,  not  of  objects ;  when  by  his  sense  of  touch 
he  became  acquainted  with  objects,  and  had  time  to  associate 
mentally  the  objects  he  touched  with  the  colors  he  saw,  then, 
and  not  till  then,  would  he  begin  to  see  objects."  —  Preyer's 
Mind  of  the  Child,  page  58. 

"  Color  cannot  be  abstracted  from  that  which  gives  it  vital- 
ity, —  i.  e.,  Form,  — from  which  it  cannot  be  abstracted  without 
rendering  the  color  flat  and  meaningless."  (Geo.  L.  Schreiber.) 


16  FROEBEUS  FIRST  GIFT 

be  attempted  at  all  with  very  young  children. 
It  seems  unnecessary  to  say  that  Froebel  did  not 
intend  the  ball  should  be  made  a  medium  of  ob- 
ject lessons  for  babies,  although  this  distorted 
view  of  his  idea  seems  to  have  entered  the  minds 
of  some  critics. 

The  child,  when  old  enough  to  .enter  a  kinder- 
garten, will  generally  know  round  objects,  and 
be  somewhat  familiar  with  the  ball  already  in  his 
home  plays.  We  should  let  him  roll  and  grasp 
it  in  his  tiny  fingers,  till  gradually,  in  compari- 
son with  other  objects  handled  in  the  same  way, 
he  notices  the  absence  of  corners,  edges,  or  any 
obstructions  which  would  meet  his  touch  or  eye. 
Then  we  may  ask  him  if  he  could  make  a  ball 
out  of  a  rough  block  of  wood  which  we  show. 
Some  bright  little  one  will  guess  that  a  carpenter 
could  do  it  with  his  tools.  "What  would  he 
have  to  do?  "  "Plane  it  off,"  will  perhaps  be  the 
answer.  "Where  and  how  is  he  to  plane?"  may 
be  the  next  inquiry,  and  the  child  often  answers, 
"All  the  rough  parts  and  the  parts  that  stick 
out."  "Why  does  he  like  to  play  ball?  "  He  does 
not  know  exactly.  "  Would  he  like  to  play  ball 
with  the  scissors?  "  "Why  not?  "  "Then  why 
does  he  like  to  feel  the  ball  in  his  hand?  " 

After  such  preliminary  conversations  upon  the 
form  of  the  ball,  we  may  lead  the  children  first 
to  note  other  round  things  in  the  room,  and  then 
to  recall  what  they  have  at  home  of  a  similar 


FROEBEIJS  FIRST  GIFT  17 

shape  and  what  they  may  have  seen  in  the  streets. 
These  exercises  are  always  delightful  to  the  little 
ones,  and  are  invaluable  to  the  kindergartner,  as 
they  furnish  a  thorough  test  of  the  child's  compre- 
hension of  the  subject  she  has  been  handling.1 
We  should  notice  slight  divergences  from  the 
spherical  form  in  the  objects  the  children  name, 
and  speak  of  them.  They  will  soon  be  able  to 
tell  in  every  case  where  the  egg  or  cobblestone  is 
not  "just  round." 

They  will  of  course  mention  stove-lids,  din- 
ner-plates, etc.,  as  round  objects,  and  the  attempt 
to  give  a  clear  and  definite  understanding  of  the 
difference  between  solids  and  planes  is  difficult 
at  first,  but  they  very  soon  discriminate  between 
rounding  objects  that  possess  thickness  and  those 
that  are  flat  but  have  curved  edges.  A  ball  of 
putty  or  one  of  dough  is  a  good  thing  with  which 
to  illustrate  this  difference. 

We  must  remember  that  any  abstract  teaching 
on  Form  is  too  difficult  at  this  time,  much  more 

1  "  Finding  forms  of  the  same  general  shape  as  those  taken 
as  types  is  of  the  highest  importance.  Unless  this  is  done,  pu- 
pils are  not  learning  to  pass  from  the  particular  to  the  general. 
They  are  not  taught  to  see  many  things  through  the  one,  and 
the  impression  they  gain  is  that  the  particular  forms  observed 
are  the  only  forms  of  this  kind.  Unless  that  which  the  pupil 
observes  aids  him  in  interpreting  something  else,  it  is  of  no 
value  to  him.  Certain  things  are  taught  that  through  them 
other  things  may  be  seen.  Pupils  should  not  be  trained  to  see 
for  the  sake  of  the  seeing,  but  that  they  may  have  the  power  to 
see."  W.  W.  Speer,  Lessons  in  Form. 


18  FROEBEUS  FIRST  GIFT 

difficult  than  Color.  Let  the  children,  during 
these  first  few  weeks,  draw  circles  on  the  black- 
board and  on  paper,  and  sew,  and  draw  pictures 
of  balls,  peaches,  or  round  fruits ;  they  may  also 
make  balls  of  wax,  dough,  or  clay.  Rousseau 
says,  "A  child  may  forget  what  he  sees,  and 
sooner  still  what  is  said  to  him,  but  he  never 
forgets  what  he  has  made." 

COLOR. 

"  The  comprehension  of  the  single  tone  of  color 

gradually  leads  to  the  comprehension  of 

the  full  chord ;  the  recognition  of  single 

colors  leads  to  the  recognition  of  shades  and  their 

harmonious  connections:   thus,  step  by  step,  the 

capacity  of  comprehending  nature  in  its  beauty 

and  with  its  treasures  is  developed."  l 

Again,  suppose  the  play-lesson  for  the  day  to 
be  upon  Color.  Of  course,  the  subject  may  be 
handled  in  a  dozen  different  ways  and  serve  for 
a  dozen  different  lessons;  a  few  hints  only  are 
here  given,  as  in  matters  of  detail  it  is  better 
that  each  teacher  should  be  free  and  unguided  in 
the  use  of  her  own  ingenuity. 

We  may  take,  perhaps,  the  red  2  ball,  and,  hold- 

1  Emma  Marwedel,  Childhood's  Poetry  and  Studies,  page  35. 

2  Professor  Earl  Barnes,  of  Stanford  University,  reports  that 
in  his  various  color  experiments  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  1000  chil- 
dren having  been  studied,  a  very  large  majority  selected  red  as 
their  favorite  color. 


FKOE BEL'S  FIRST   GIFT  19 

ing  it  high  in  the  air,  ask,  "  Who  has  a  ball  ex- 
actly like  mine?  Look  carefully,  now,  and  then 
show  me."  A  volley  of  balls,  comprising  every 
color  in  the  rainbow,  will  be  shot  into  the  air, 
and  then  becomes  necessary  the  task  of  discrimi- 
nation. We  may  find  the  red  ones,  and  gratify 
the  children  by  naming  those  who  possess  them, 
as  it  seems  a  great  honor  in  their  eyes.  Now 
they  should  be  led  to  find  every  bit  of  red  in  the 
room,  — Andrew's  stockings,  Mary's  ribbon,  the 
tiny  pipings  on  Katie's  apron,  Jim's  necktie, 
your  belt,  the  flowers  on  the  wall,  etc.  The 
scene  will  become  intensely  exciting;  the  bright 
eyes  will  begin  searching  in  every  corner  of  the 
room,  and  the  transport  which  will  greet  us  when 
anything  far  out  of  sight  and  of  the  right  color 
is  discovered  is  truly  refreshing. 

All  the  children,  as  far  as  possible,  should  be 
engaged  in  this  diversion,  while  the  most  timid 
and  backward  should  be  kept  near  and  encouraged 
with  word  and  smile.  The  name  of  the  color 
should  not  be  asked  for,  or  given,  till  it  can  be 
matched  by  all,  and  found  in  surrounding  objects. 

We  may  ask  what  flowers  they  have  seen  which 
were  like  the  color  they  are  studying,  and  show 
them  some  of  the  more  familiar  kinds ;  also  speak 
of  the  action  of  the  sun  in  making  certain  fruits 
red,  —  the  raspberries  and  strawberries,  for  in- 
stance. Some  rosy  -  faced  little  urchin  in  the 
class  may  be  chosen  and  asked  how  he  keeps  such 


20  FROEBEVS  FIRST  GIFT 

red  cheeks,  and  from  this  the  idea  of  red  as  the 
color  of  warmth  and  life  may  be  developed.  We 
may  proceed  with  blue  and  yellow,  then  with 
violet,  orange,  and  green,  in  like  manner,  con- 
stantly diversifying  the  exercises  with  plays, 
songs,  and  appropriate  stories. 

The  formation  of  the  so-called  secondary  col- 
Hintson       ors   w^   not   be   verv   obvious   to    the 
cok?rioual     younger  children,  nor  is  the  fact  to  be 
Exercises.      taught  scientifically  or  learned  by  them ; 
they  will,  however,  be  greatly  interested  in  the 
mixing  of  paints  in  small  dishes,  or  the  blending 
of  different  colored  crayons  on  the  blackboard. 
Red  and  Yellow  into  Orange. 
Yellow  and  Blue  into  Green. 
Blue  and  Red  into  Purple. 
Pieces   of   glass   are   serviceable  objects  with 
which  to  show  the  same  thing,  or  we  can  buy  the 
"gelatine  films"  from   any  kindergarten  supply 
store.     Holding  the  red  and  yellow,  one  on  the 
other,  for  instance,  the  piece  nearer  the  eye  will, 
of  course,  determine  the  shade;  if  the  red  piece 
be  next  the  ej^e,  the  orange  color  will  be  deeper 
than   if  the  yellow  were   in  the   same  position. 
None  of  these  experiments,  however,  will  produce 
pure  colors,  the  green  and  purple  being  especially 
unsatisfactory. 

Among  the  devices  with  which  to  teach  color 
may  be  recommended  a  color  quilt  made  of  vari- 
ous shades  and  shapes  of  woolens  and  silks  or 


FROEBEUS  FIRST  GIFT  21 

ribbons.  This  may  be  used  as  a  sort  of  chart, 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  children,  and  is  one 
of  the  valuable  aids  in  teaching,  because  it  calls 
out  both  individual  and  general  action.  We 
may  also  make  a  clothes-line  of  twine  and  sus- 
pend it  from  door  to  door,  or  between  any  two 
suitable  points,  attaching  to  it  pieces  of  all 
colors,  and,  after  a  while,  of  various  tints  and 
shades  of  worsted,  letting  the  children  touch  the 
ones  designated,  or  find  bits  of  the  same  color  as 
their  balls. 

Cards  wound  with  different  tints  and  shades 
of  the  same  color  are  also  useful  when  the  chil- 
dren have  developed  greater  powers  of  discrimina- 
tion, and  a  chart  or  map  may  be  made  by  past- 
ing colored  squares,  triangles,  oblongs,  or  circles 
on  a  ground  of  gray  Bristol  board. 

Then,  too,  we  may  have  a  box  of  tablets  of  the 
simple  geometrical  figures,  and,  giving  a  quantity 
to  the  children,  let  them  arrange  the  different 
colors  in  separate  rows. 

Children  of  all  ages  will  be  fascinated  by  the 
spectrum,  "Nature's  palette  of  pure  colors,  "which 
the  sunlight  streaming  through  a  prism  shows 
upon  the  wall;  and  as  it  can  be  supplemented 
by  a  spectrum  chart  for  cloudy  days,  they  will 
delight  to  arrange  their  colored  papers  to  imitate 
it.  The  older  children  will  gain  much  valuable 
knowledge  by  experimenting  with  the  color  tops, 
and  if  a  color  wheel  with  the  accompanying  Max- 


22  FROEBEUS  FIRST  GIFT 

well  disks  can  be  obtained,  the  materials  for  color 
education  will  be  quite  complete. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  purpose  of 
all  these  exercises  is  that  the  child  may  learn  to 
know  the  six  standards,  and  subsequently  their 
intermediates,  and  may  in  time  learn  to  use  and 
combine  them  harmoniously.  It  is,  therefore, 
essential  that  the  colors  supplied  him  shall  be 
fresh  and  pure,1  and  that  he  not  only  have  free- 
dom to  make  his  own  experiments,  but  materials 
to  preserve  them  in  permanent  form  when  they 
prove  successful. 

When  the  children  are  just  making  friends 
with  the  teacher  and  with  each  other,  it  is  very 
interesting  and  profitable  for  them  to  formulate 
their  mite  of  knowledge  into  a  sentence,  each  one 
holding  his  ball  high  in  the  air  with  the  right 
hand,  and  saying :  — 

My  ball  is  red  like  a  cherry. 

My  ball  is  yellow  like  a  lemon. 

My  ball  is  blue  like  the  sky. 

My  ball  is  orange  like  a  marigold. 

My  ball  is  green  like  the  grass. 

My  ball  is  violet  like  a  plum. 

We  should  not,  however,  allow  this  to  degen- 
erate into  mere  recitation,  but  let  the  child  find 

1  "  Care  should  be  taken,  in  the  selection  of  all  materials  for 
color  lessons,  to  get  as  perfect  foundation  colors  as  possible  ;  no 
faded  or  poor  shades  are  allowable,  as  they  lead  the  child 
astray." 


FROEBEUS  FIRST  GIFT  23 

his  own  objects  of  comparison,  and  change  them 
when  he  chooses  for  any  others  that  occur  to  him. 
This  prevents  parrot  repetition,  and  gives  room 
for  individuality  and  real  self-expression. 

MOTION;  DIRECTION;  POSITION. 

The  child  of  three  or  four  years  has  seldom  any 
conception  of  the  terms :  — 

Right.  ~ Left.     Here  ~^  There. 

_  Motion ; 

Up*      — — Down.  JNear  "-^ —  rar.       Direction; 

1  Position. 

Over   ^^  Under.  Front  — —  Back. 

Even  if  he  has  a  dim  idea  of  direction,  he  can- 
not express  himself  regarding  it,  nor  is  he  certain 
enough  of  his  knowledge  to  be  able  to  move  or 
place  the  ball  according  to  dictation. 

Motion  is  always  easy  and  delightful  to  the 
child,  and  therefore  he  will  move  his  ball  in 
different  directions,  as  the  words  and  music  sug- 
gest, when  he  would  be  too  timid  to  express  a 
thought,  and  is  willing  and  happy  to  do  in  uni- 
son what  he  would  hesitate  to  do  by  himself. 

The  ball  may  be  made  a  starting-point  in  giving 
the  child  an  idea  of  various  simple  facts  about 
objects  in  general,  and  in  illustrating  in  move- 
ments the  many  terms  with  which  we  wish  him 
to  become  familiar.  The  meaning  of  the  terms 
to  swing,  hop,  jump,  roll,  spring,  run  away, 
come  back,  fall,  draw,  bounce,  and  push  may  be 
taught  by  a  like  movement  of  the  ball,  urging 
the  child  to  give  his  own  interpretation  of  the 


24  FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT 

motions  in  words.  All  the  children  may  then 
make  their  balls  hop,  spring,  roll,  or  swing  at 
the  same  time,  accompanying  the  movements  by 
appropriate  rhymes. 

The  ball  is  more  purely  a  plaything  than  any- 
thing which  the  child  receives  in  the  kindergar- 
ten, and  its  mobility  is  so  charming,  it  so  easily 
slips  from  his  hands  and  travels  so  delightfully 
far  when  dropped,  that  exercises  with  it  soon 
become  riotous  if  not  carefully  guided.  Every 
play-lesson  on  the  ball  should  close  with  some 
active  exercise  in  which  the  children  may  indulge 
their  wish  for  a  game  with  their  dear  playfellow, 
and  in  which  they  may  also  gain  greater  skill 
and  learn  practically  the  laws  of  motion. 

When  sitting  at  their  tables,  each  pair  of  chil- 
dren may  roll  a  ball  to  and  fro,  all  beginning  at 
the  same  moment;  or  the  first  pair  may  begin, 
the  second  and  third  follow,  and  so  on  until  all 
are  rolling.  They  may  throw  balls  against  the 
wall,  or  toss  them  in  the  air,  or  throw  them 
alternately  first  in  the  air,  then  against  the  wall ; 
they  may  toss  them  to  each  other  at  increasing 
distances.  The  whole  company  of  children  may 
be  arranged  in  two  rows  and  throw  the  balls  to 
each  other  in  unison,  or  they  may  pass  them 
from  hand  to  hand  as  in  a  Wandering  Game,  — 
all  the  exercises  being  accompanied  with  appro- 
priate songs  or  rhymes. 

The  laws  of  incidence  and  reflection  may  be 


FROEBEVS  FIEST  GIFT  25 

simply  taught  by  leading  the  children  to  note 
that  if  they  strike  the  ball  straight  against  the 
wall  it  will  bound  straight  back,  and  then  asking 
them  to  see  if  it  returns  when  thrown  in  a  slant- 
ing direction. 

In  order  to  present  the  ball  in  a  more  attractive 
light  in  the  kindergarten,  to  suit  it  to   Symbolic 
the  symbolic  stage  of  the  child's  devel-   cwid'sDe- 
opment,  and  to  bring  it  nearer  to  his  vel°Pment- 
sympathies,  we  constantly,  in  our  play,  suppose  it 
to  be  something  which  it  resembles  in  certain  of 
its  characteristics.     By  its  color,   it  may  repre- 
sent a  fruit,  a  flower,  or  a  gayly  dressed  child ; 
by  its  form,   an  egg,   a  downy  chicken,   a  tiny 
duckling;  by  its  mobility,  a  bird,  a  squirrel,  a 
baby ;  or  when  fastened  to  its  string,  a  bucket  in 
the  well,  a  toy  wagon,  a  pendulum,  or  a  pet  lamb 
tethered  by  the  roadside. 

The  child  is  always  at  home  in  the  world  of 
"make-believe,"  and  delights  in  the  stories  and 
the  many  charming  songs  to  which  this  imagina- 
tive use  of  the  ball  gives  rise. 

Perhaps  we  may  wisely  remind  ourselves,  how- 
ever, that  though  the  child's  fancy  is  most  vivid, 
and  though  the  ball  is  well  adapted  to  represent 
many  objects,  yet  if  it  resemble  in  no  single  point 
the  thing  to  which  we  liken  it,  we  are  indulging 
in  empty  imaginings  which  will  only  hinder  the 
child's  comprehension  of  truth.1 

1  "  The  resemblance  of  the  symbol  to  the  thing  signified  is  a 


26  FROEBEL'S  FIRST  GIFT 

The  teacher  who  truly  understands  the  great 
principles  on  which  Froebel  built  the  kinder- 
garten will  ever  be  mindful  of  one  of  the  high- 
cooperative  est  °^  tnese>  —  "the  brotherly  union  of 
Exercises.  those  ^o  are  like-minded."  Even  in 
the  simple  plays  with  the  first  gift,  group  work 
is  easily  possible.  The  stringing  of  the  first 
gift  beads  or  the  supplementary  modeling  in 
clay  may  be  made  into  a  cooperative  exercise, 
the  work  with  the  balls  at  the  sand-table  may 
have  a  similar  aim,  and  many  of  the  ball  games 
are  well  fitted  to  unite  the  whole  community  of 
children,  older  and  younger,  in  a  common  aim, 
a  common,  purpose.1 

We  must  remember  that  on  a  carefully  pre- 
whatwe  pared  plan  of  procedure  depends  much 

Should  £      .1  -t  £  £          J 

strive  for.  of  the  value  of  any  system  of  educa- 
tion; therefore  we  must  decide,  when  the  child 
comes  under  our  tutelage,  what  we  wish  to  accom- 
plish and  what  shall  be  our  method  of  accomplish- 
ing it ;  and  yet  as  the  first  gift  is  not  the  last, 
as  it  is  but  the  first  link  in  a  chain  of  related 


very  important  matter  in  education,  especially  in  kindergarten  ed- 
ucation." —  Geo.  P.  Brown,  Essentials  of  Educational  Psychology. 
1  "  If,  therefore,  genuine  brotherliness,  .  .  .  consideration  and 
respect  for  playmates  and  fellow-men,  are  again  to  become 
prevalent,  they  can  become  so  only  by  being  connected  with 
the  feeling  of  community  abiding  in  each  man  (however  much 
or  little  of  it  may  be  found),  and  by  fostering  this  feeling  with 
the  greatest  care."  —  Friedrich  Froebel,  Education  of  Man, 
page  74. 


FKOEBEL'S  FIEST  GIFT  27 

objects,  it  is  obvious  that  it  must  be  chiefly  use- 
ful as  a  starting-point.  Each  lesson  should  be 
carefully  studied  by  the  teacher,  for  the  founda- 
tion is  being  laid  for  all  future  acquisition. 

The  kindergarten  gifts  are  designed  to  lead 
to  the  mastery  of  material  objects,  but  at  the 
same  time  they  are  always  connected  with  the 
child's  experience  and  affection  by  being  often 
transported  into  the  region  of  fancy  and  feeling 
in  a  blending  of  realism  and  symbolism.  Omit- 
ting everything  which  has  reference  to  the  moral 
and  physical  development,  and  speaking  now  only 
of  that  which  is  intellectual,  what  we  should 
strive  for  at  the  beginning  is  that  the  child  may 
acquire  a  habit  of  quick  observation,  with  clear 
and  precise  expression ;  that  in  due  time  he  may 
see  not  only  quickly,  but  accurately ;  in  short,  that 
a  slight  degree  of  judgment  may  begin  to  attend 
his  perceptions,  so  that  he  may  know  as  well  as 
observe.  It  is  not  enough  to  awaken  the  curi- 
osity of  a  child,  and  to  heap  up  in  his  memory  a 
mass  of  good  materials  which  will  combine  of 
themselves  in  due  time,  and  which  the  brain  when 
more  highly  developed  will  arrange  in  systematic 
groups ;  we  should  endeavor  as  far  as  possible  to 
control  the  first  impressions  which  sink  uncon- 
sciously into  a  child's  mind,  but  still  more  care- 
ful should  we  be  in  the  selection  of  those  later 
ones  which  we  try  to  inculcate,  and  of  the  links 
which  we  wish  to  establish  between  such  and  such 
perceptions,  sentiments,  or  actions. 


28  FEOEBEVS  FIRST  GIFT 

We  should  seek  to  develop,  side  by  side  with 
the  perceptions,  the  faculty  of  judging  and  acting 
rightly. 

To  give  a  child  very  little  to  observe  at  a 
time,  but  to  make  him  observe  that  little  well  and 
rightly,  is  the  true  way  of  forming  and  storing  his 
mind. 

The  process  of  receiving  an  idea  must  be 
through  sensation,  attention,  and  perception,  con- 
ception and  judgment  being  later  processes.  The 
curiosity  to  know  must  be  kept  alive,  for  it  is  our 
greatest  ally,  and  the  imagination  must  be  fed,  for 
the  child  remembers  only  what  interests  him. 

Recognizing  what  is  to  be  accomplished,  we  say, 
then :  — 

a.  The  ball  is  one  of  the  first  means  used  in 
awakening  and  developing  the  dawning  conscious- 
ness and  growing  faculties  of  the  child. 

6.  The  beginning  must  be  well  made,  or  no 
later  step  will  seem  clear. 

c.  If  the  first  opportunity  which  occurs  of  deal- 
ing with  the  gift  (or  with  any  instrumentality  of 
education)  is  wasted,  interest  on  the  part  of  the 
child  is  permanently  lessened. 

d.  The  mind  retains  clear  impressions  in  pro- 
portion to  the  degree  of  spontaneous  interest  and 
attention  with  which  they  are  received. 

e.  The    law   of   diminishing    interest   decrees 
that  each  point  in  a  successful  exercise  shall  be 
more  interesting  than  the  previous  one. 


FROEBEVS  FIRST  GIFT  29 

f.  The  lessons  must  not  be  confined  to  so  nar- 
row a  channel  that  they  become  monotonous,  and 
they  must  leave  room  for  the  child  to  develop 
and  not  attempt  to  prescribe  his  mental  action. 

Tiedemann  says:  " Liberty  of  action  even  in 
imitated  actions  is  one  of  the  conditions  of  a 
child's  happiness;  besides  that,  it  has  the  effect  of 
exercising  and  developing  all  his  faculties.  Ex- 
ample is  the  first  tutor,  and  liberty  the  second, 
in  the  order  of  evolution;  but  the  second  is  the 
better  one,  for  it  has  inclination  for  its  assist- 
ant." 

READINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

From  Cradle  to  School.     Bertha  Meyer.     Pages  118-20. 

Education.     Herbert  Spencer.     128-40. 

Kindergarten  Culture.      W.  N.  Hailmann.     41-46. 

Education.     E.  Seguin.     7, 8. 

The  Kindergarten.     Emily  Shirreff.     10. 

Kindergarten  at  Home.     Emily  Shirreff.     46. 

Reminiscences  of  Froebel.     Von  Marenholtz-Biilow.     208,  209. 

Lectures  on  Child-Culture.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     24. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     J.  and  B.  Ronge.     1—3. 

Koehler's  Kindergarten  Practice.    Tr.  by  Mary  Gurney.    5-12. 

Child- Culture.     Henry  Barnard.     567,  568,  570-75. 

Education  of  Man.  Fr.  Froebel.  Tr.  by  J.  Jarvis.  105,  106, 
206. 

Lectures  to  Kindergartners.  E.  P.  Peabody.  30,  31,  38,  39, 
44-51. 

Pedagogics  of  the  Kindergarten.  Fr.  Froebel.  Tr.  by  J.  Jar- 
vis.  31-69. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     7-9. 

Law  of  Childhood.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     31-33. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     1—15. 

Froebel  and  Education  by  Self -Activity.  JET.  Courthope  Bowen. 
136-38. 


30  FROEBEUS  FIEST  GIFT 

Childhood's  Poetry  and  Studies.     E.  Marwedel.     Part  I.     7-  ' 
15. 

Childhood's  Poetry  and  Studies.     E.  Marwedel.     Part  II.     6- 
17. 

A  System  of  Child-Culture.     E.  Marwedel     1-5. 

The  Dawn  of  History.     A.  Keary.     44-47. 

Hints  to  Teachers.     E.  Marwedel.     5,  6. 

Froebel's  Letters.     Tr.  by  Michaelis  and  Moore.     83-85,  98, 
101-03,  107,  176,  220. 

Conscious  Motherhood.   E.  Marwedel   106,  107,  118, 119, 153, 
162-64, 170-74,  256-62,  291-96. 


FROEBEL'S  SECOND  GIFT 

"  From  the  ball  as  a  symbol  of  unity,  we  pass  over  in  a  con- 
secutive manner  to  the  manifoldness  of  form  in  the  cube." 

"  The  child  has  an  intimation  in  the  cube  of  the  unity  which 
lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  manifoldness,  and  from  which  the 
latter  proceeds."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  Notice  has  now  become  observation,  and  observation  leads  to 
discrimination.  He  sees  and  is  curious  by  nature,  but  it  belongs 
to  us  to  lead  him  to  observe  and  inquire."  EMILY  SHIRREFF. 

1.  FROEBEL'S  second  gift  consists  of  a  wooden 
sphere,  cube,  and  cylinder,  two  inches  in  diameter 
(as  now  made),  with  rods  and  standards  for  revo- 
lution.1 

2.  In  the  first  gift  the  child  received  objects 
of  the  same  shape  and  size  but  of  different  colors, 
thus   learning  to  separate  color  from  form.     In 
the  second   gift   he  receives  unlike  objects,  and 
learns   to  distinguish  them  from  each  other  by 
their  individual  peculiarities.     The  first  gift  sug- 
gests unity,  and  leads  to  the  detection  of  resem- 
blances ;  the  second  suggests  variety  or  manifold- 
ness,  and  emphasizes  contrasts. 

1  "  The  wooden  sphere  has  no  string-  like  the  balls  of  the  first 
gift,  because  the  child  no  longer  needs  the  outward  connection ; 
he  now  realizes  the  spiritual  connection  between  himself  and  the 
outer  world."  (E.  G.  Seymour.) 


32  FROEBEVS  SECOND   GIFT 

3.  The    most   important  characteristic   of    the 
gift  is    contrast  of  form,  leading*  to  the  distinc- 
tion of  different  objects.     The  mediation  of  con- 
trasts here  suggests  the  connection  of  all  objects, 
however  widely  separated. 

4.  The    purpose    of   the    gift   is   to   stimulate 
observation    and    comparison  by  presentation   of 
striking  contrasts,  and  to  afford  new  bases  for  the 
classification  of  objects.     Spencer  says  that  any 
systematic  ministrations  to  the  perceptions  ought 
to  be  based  upon  the  general  truth  that  in  the 
development  of  every  faculty  markedly  contrasted 
impressions  are  the  first  to  be  distinguished ;  that 
hence   sounds  greatly  differing  in  loudness  and 
pitch,  colors  very  remote  from  each  other,  and  sub- 
stances widely  removed   in    hardness  or  texture 
should  be  the  first  supplied ;  and  that  in  each  case 
the  progression  must  be  by  slow  degrees  to  impres- 
sions more  nearly  allied.1 

5.  The   geometrical    forms  illustrated   in   this 
gift  are :  — 

(  Sphere. 

Cube. 
Solids,    s  Cylinder. 

Double  Cone.  )  0 
ri       -j  t  Seen  in  motion. 

^  Conoid.  ) 

(  Circles. 
PlaneS'     {Squares. 

6.  The  sphere  and  cube  are  sharply  contrast- 

1  Education,  page  132. 


FROEBEISS  SECOND  GIFT  33 

ing  forms,  and  the  cylinder  illustrates  the  con- 
necting link  between  the  two,  possessing  charac- 
teristics of  both. 

"  The  cylinder  is  the  first  example  Froebel 
gives  of  the  intermediate  transition  -  forms  con- 
necting opposites,  which  he  explains  as  the  very 
ground  plan  of  Nature,  and  on  which  his  funda- 
mental law  of  contrasts  and  connection  of  con- 
trasts, the  law  of  all  harmonious  development  and 
creative  industry,  is  based."  l 


"  That   which    follows   is   always   conditioned 
upon    that  which   goes    before,"2   says  Pointstobe 
Froebel,  and  he  makes  this  apparent  to  each^w 
children  through    his    educational   pro-  Glft' 
cesses  ;  the  gifts  show  this  idea  in  concrete  form. 

In  entering  upon  a  consideration  of  the  second 
gift  one  thing  cannot  fail  to  impress  us,  and  that 
is  the  continuous  development  in  each  new  set  of 
objects  placed  before  the  child ;  together  with  an 
increase  of  difficulty  or  complexity  which  is  never 
without  a  corresponding  forethought,  careful 
arrangement,  and  attention  to  logical  sequence ; 
thus  the  newly  introduced  objects  can  never  seem 
unnatural  to  him. 

We  shall  find  that  in  every  new  gift  or  oc- 
cupation there  is  always  a  suggestion  of  the  last, 

1  E.  Shirreff. 

2  "  We  cannot  evolve  what  has  not  first  been  involved." 


34  FROEBEUS  SECOND  GIFT 

enough  to  make  it  a  pleasant  reminder  of  know- 
ledge gained  and  difficulties  surmounted,  and  so 
the  child  sees  not  everything  painfully  strange, 
but  something  which  at  least  recalls  to  his  mind 
his  former  friend  and  familiar  playfellow.1 

In  the  first  lesson  with  the  second  gift  the 
Method  of  child  will  quickly  see  the  similarities 
FiJrt  ISr-  between  his  former  worsted  ball  and 
his  new  companion,  the  wooden  sphere. 
Let  him  take  these  two  balls  together,  and  find 
out  the  similarities  and  dissimilarities,  remember- 
ing that  before  he  compares  objects  consciously, 
experiences  should  invariably  be  given  him. 

We  should  always  draw  attention  to  the  uni- 
versal properties  of  things  first  and  then  proceed 
to  the  specific.  The  qualities  common  to  all  ob- 
jects are  the  universal  ones :  Form,  Size,  Color, 
Material,  etc.  The  invariable  rule  should  be: 
simple  before  complex,  concrete  before  abstract, 
unity  before  variety,  universal  qualities  before 
special  ones. 

If  we  are  in  doubt  as  to  whether  we  shall  first 
direct  attention  to  the  similarities  or  to  the  dis- 
similarities between  the  ball  and  sphere,  we  may 
recall  the  educational  maxim,  "The  child's  eye 

1  "  Nothing  charms  us  more  than  the  recognition  of  the  old  in 
the  new.  The  man  who  hurries  through  a  foreign  city,  indiffer- 
ent  and  inattentive  to  the  passing  crowd,  feels  a  quick  thrill  of 
pleasure  when  in  the  midst  of  all  the  strangers  he  recognizes  a 
familiar  face."  (E.  Minhinnick.) 


FROEBEL'S  SECOND   GIFT  35 

always  at  first  seizes  the  analogous,  the  point  of 
union,  the  whole  connection  of  things,  and  only 
after  that  begins  to  discern  differences  and  oppo- 
sition." l 

In  comparing  the  ball  and  the  sphere  the  child 
will  observe,  in  the  first  place  that  they  Ball  and 
are  both  round  and  both    roll  equally  sPhere- 
well,  but  that  one  has  color,  one  being  without ; 
one  is  soft,  the  other  hard  ;  one  quiet,  one  noisy ; 
one  a  little  rough  to  the  touch,  the  other  velvet 
smooth.    He  should  find  for  and  by  himself,  aided 
by  our   suggestive  questioning,   the   reasons  for 
these  evident  differences. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  each  child  should 
have  one  of  the  boxes  containing  the  solids,  or  at 
least  the  three  forms  of  the  gift  without  the  box, 
rods,  and  standards,  and  examine  them  thoroughly 
and  often  as  he  will  be  glad  to  do. 

If  the  solids  as  ordinarily  manufactured  are  too 
costly  for  a  kindergartner  of  limited  means,  she 
can  substitute  large  marbles,  blocks,  and  linen 
thread  spools;  the  material  does  not  matter  so 
long  as  each  child  has  the  objects  to  handle. 

We  need  not  be  distressed  if  the  lessons  are  a 
little  noisy  when  the  children  are  making  the 
acquaintance  of  these  wonderful  new  friends. 
To  be  sure  they  will  pound  the  wooden  forms 
heartily  up  and  down  on  the  table  (if  they  are 

1  "  The  infant  mind  is  transparent  to  resemblance,  but  opaque 
to  difference."  —  Susan  E.  Blow,  Symbolic  Education,  page  83. 


36  FROEBEISS  SECOND   GIFT 

three-year  old  babies,  they  certainly  would  and 
Value  of  the   should  do  so)  ;  but  within  bounds  what 

Discrimiua-       ',  .  Ti.    .  , 

tive  Power  ;  does  it  matter  ?  If  it  can  be  arranged 
which  it  y  so  that  other  classes  shall  not  be  dis- 
turbed,  and  each  child  can  have  the 


same  opportunity  for  experimenting  as  his  neigh- 
bor, there  will  be  no  great  harm  done. 

We  are  endeavoring  to  rouse  all  the  latent  en- 
ergies of  the  child  by  the  presentation  of  these 
objects  to  his  observation,  and  he  must  have  full 
liberty  to  make  the  various  experiments  which 
suggest  themselves  to  him.  His  desire  to  hear 
the  sound  of  the  objects  is  so  manifest  that  it 
would  be  folly  to  try  and  thwart  it.  It  is  far 
better  to  use  the  desire  for  educational  purposes 
and  divert  it  into  the  channel  of  systematized 
noise.  Let  us  suppose  that  we  are  carpenters  to- 
day and  pound  the  wooden  objects  on  the  floor  in 
exact  time  with  a  building  song  ;  let  us  play  we 
are  drummer  boys  and  tap  with  our  drumsticks 
for  the  soldiers  to  march  ;  or  shall  we  make  be- 
lieve that  the  sphere  is  a  woodpecker  and  let  it 
tap  on  the  trees  while  we  recite  some  simple  little 
rhyme  ?  l 

"  This  craving  of  young  children  for  informa- 
tion," says  Bernard  Perez,  "is  an  emotional  and 
intellectual  absorbing  power,  as  dominant  as  the 
appetite  for  nutrition,  and  equally  needing  to  be 
watched  over  and  regulated." 

1  For  second  gift  songs,  see  Kindergarten  Chimes  (Kate  D. 
Wiggin),  pages  32,  33,  Oliver  Ditson  Publishing  Co. 


FROEBEUS  SECOND   GIFT  37 

It  is  not  alone  the  noise  of  the  sphere  which 
delights  the  child,1  though  this  is  always  pleasing, 
—  it  is  the  knowledge  he  is  gaining,  the  new 
ideas  that  dawn  upon  him  for  the  first  time  in 
recognizable  form.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  knowledge  of 
cause  and  effect.  He  has  often  dropped  the 
woolen  ball  and  pounded  it  on  the  table,  and  it 
produced  no  sound.  He  does  the  same  with  the 
sphere  and  recognizes  the  difference.  He  will 
begin  to  experiment  with  other  objects,  by  and 
by  to  classify  his  knowledge,  and  finally,  he  will 
see  and  remember  that  like  causes  produce  like 
effects,  and  in  progressing  thus  far  will  have  made 
a  tremendous  stride.  The  child  will  see  all  the 
more  clearly,  in  comparing  the  woolen  ball  and 
wooden  sphere,  the  difference  between  soft  and 
hard,  rough  and  smooth,  light  and  heavy,  if  he  is 
allowed  to  perform  his  own  experiments. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  investigation  of  the 
cube  and  open  a  new  world  of  informa- 

1  The  Cube. 

tion  to  the  child,  and  here  we  seem  to 
deviate  a  little  from  the  famous  educational 
maxim,  "  Proceed  from  the  known  to  the  un- 
known," and  almost  to  make  a  leap  into  the  dark. 
However,  we  very  soon  give  the  cylinder,  and 
thus  connect  the  opposites.  Here  he  meets  a  daz- 

1  "  The  sound  is  a  yet  higher  sign  of  life  to  the  child,  as  he 
then,  and  also  later,  likes  to  lend  speech  to  all  dumb  things ; 
therefore  he  also  desires  to  hear  sound  and  speech  from  every- 
thing." —  Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  72. 


38  FROEBEUS  SECOND  GIFT 

zling  quantity  of  new  appearances;  the  square 
sides  or  faces,  and  the  many  edges  and  corners, 
all  of  which  must  be  viewed  in  comparison  with 
the  sphere.  We  can  give  him  an  experience  of 
the  faces  of  the  cube  without  conscious  analysis, 
by  letting  the  ball  roll  against  them. 

Of  course  we  shall  see  the  underlying  idea  of 

°    ^e    ^e    connec^on    ° 


Mediation  of 

contraats.  sites.  Not  too  much  can  be  said  of  this 
law,  so  all-important  and  significant  in  Froebel's 
system.1  We  should  bear  it  constantly  in  mind, 
and  bring  it  in  connection  with  every  new  phase 
of  our  work.  Froebel  cannot  be  understood 
clearly  unless  this  deep  principle,  which  lies  at 
the  very  root  of  his  system,  is  appreciated  and 
comprehended.  At  the  same  time  it  is,  when 
formulated,  an  abstract  and  metaphysical  state- 
ment, which  one  cannot  grasp  at  once,  but  to 
which  one  must  grow. 

It  may  be  said  that  comparatively  few  kinder- 
gartners  know  its  value  ;  nevertheless  knowledge 
of  this  kind  can  never  be  useless  or  fruitless  to 
the  person  who  is  forming  the  mind  of  the  child, 
and  who  should  be  a  perfect  mistress  of  her 
science  and  her  art. 

1  "  But  each  thing1  is  recognized  only  when  it  is  connected 
with  the  opposite  of  its  kind,  and  when  the  union,  accord,  simil- 
itude with  this  object  are  found  ;  and  the  connection  with  the 
opposite,  and  the  discovery  of  the  uniting,  renders  the  recogni- 
tion so  much  the  more  complete."  —  Froebel's  Education  of 
Man,  page  26. 


FROEBEVS  SECOND   GIFT  39 

These  contrasts  of  the  second  gift,  and  all  con- 
trasts,   arouse    the   mind   to   attention.   Valueof 
We  can  have  no  judgment  without  com-  Contrasts- 
parison.     We  should   have  no  idea   of   heat  or 
darkness  if  we  had  not  a  conception  of  cold  and 
light ;  the  quality  of   sweetness  would   have  no 
meaning  if  its  opposite  did  not  serve  to  stimulate 
comparison. 

The  sphere  is  sharply  contrasted  with  the 
cube,  so  that  there  may  be  a  ready  perception  of 
the  striking  qualities  of  both.  The  more  abrupt 
the  contrast  the  more  readily  noticed  and  de- 
scribed ;  for  it  takes  a  more  developed  eye  to 
discern  the  difference  between  a  sphere  and  a 
spheroid,  for  instance,  than  between  a  sphere  and 
a  cube. 

The  contrasts  of  the  first  gift  were  contrasts 
of  color,  mediations  of  them  being  shown  also, 
and  contrasts  of  direction  and  position  or  situa- 
tion. Another  point  less  readily  seen  in  the  first 
gift  perhaps  was  Froebel's  thought  that  the  ball, 
in  its  perfect  simplicity  and  unity,  when  first 
given  to  the  young  child,  is  regarded  by  him  as 
another  contrasted  individuality,  almost  as  capa- 
ble of  life  in  its  varied  movements  as  he  is  him- 
self. 

The  sphere  is  the  symbol  of  motion,  the  cube 
the  embodiment  of  rest,  and   the   fact  Mobilityof 
should   be   illustrated   in   divers   ways.   sPhere- 
We  may,  for  instance,  place  the  sphere  near  the 


40  FROEBEL'S  SECOND   GIFT 

rim  of  a  plate,  and  by  inclining  the  latter  a  little, 
the  sphere  will  roll  rapidly  round  its  own  axis 
and  round  the  rim.  A  few  simple  little  rhymes 
may  be  taught,  which  the  children  may  say  or  sing 
together  while  the  sphere  is  journeying  rapidly 
round  and  round  the  plate,  for,  as  Froebel  says, 
the  thought  always  grows  clearer  to  the  child  when 
word  and  motion  go  hand  in  hand. 

The  cube  can  only  be  moved,  on  the  contrary, 
s  here  and  wnen  ^ orce  *s  exerted,  and  then  it 
Cube.  merely  slides,  to  stop  when  the  force  is 

removed.  The  children  will  soon  see  why  the 
cube  is  so  lazily  inclined,  and  why  the  sphere  is 
ever  rolling,  rolling  about,  scarcely  to  be  kept 
still,  for  by  various  experiments  we  may  show 
that  the  sphere  stands  only  on  a  little  part  of  its 
face,  the  cube  on  the  whole. 

The  sphere  is  always  the  same  in  whatever  way 
regarded,  and  to  whatever  tests  subjected.  It  is 
always  an  emblem  of  unity,  and  cannot  be  robbed 
of  its  simplicity,  its  unity,  its  freedom  from  all 
that  is  puzzling. 

The  cube,  on  the  contrary,  being  made  to  re- 
volve on  any  one  of  its  axes,  constantly  shows  a 
different  aspect,  so  that  the  child  views  it  as  a 
very  extraordinary  little  block,  full  of  fascinating 
surprises  and  whimsical  apparitions. 

It  is  put  upon  the  string,  and,  when  whirled 
rapidly,  mysteriously  loses  its  identity,  and  ap- 
pears to  the  little  one's  laughing  gaze  as  an 


FEOEBEVS  SECOND   GIFT  41 

entirely  different  object;  and  yet  as  the  motion 
grows  more  sedate,  the  new  form  fades  away  and 
the  cube  reappears  so  quickly  as  to  make  him  rub 
his  eyes  and  wonder  if  he  has  been  dreaming. 

The  square  faces  of  the  cube,  in  comparison 
with  the  one  curved,  unbroken  surface  Counting 
of  the  sphere,  must  now  be  noted,  and  Faces- 
may  be  counted  if  we  are  using   the  gift   as  a 
means  of  instruction. 

We  must  beware,  however,  of  making  this 
counting  exercise  into  a  lesson,  or  requiring  that 
the  number  of  faces  shall  be  learned  and  recited. 
Every  teacher  of  experience  will  corroborate  Mr. 
W.  N.  Hailmann  when  he  says :  "  If  the  kinder- 
gartner  sets  the  cube  before  the  child  and  counts 
the  faces,  edges,  and  corners,  so  that  he  may 
4  know  all  about  it,'  the  child's  interest,  if  born 
at  all,  will  soon  die." 

If  the  faces  are  counted,  as  they  are  all  so  ex- 
actly alike,  the  children  may  sometimes  be  puz- 
zled as  to  the  number,  by  enumerating  the  same 
one  more  than  once.  This  difficulty  may  be  ob- 
viated by  pasting  a  paper  square  of  a  different 
color  on  each  face,  and  then  submitting  it  to  ex- 
amination, giving  each  child  an  opportunity  to 
count,  since  independent  self-activity  is  to  be  more 
and  more  encouraged. 

If  the  faces,  edges,  and  corners  be  made  the 
integral  point  of  an  interesting  story  or  play,  the 
child  will  have  little  difficulty  in  recalling  their 


42  FROEBEVS  SECOND   GIFT 

number  and  character,  but  we  must  remember 
that  "lively  interest  and  steady  progress  come 
only  from  following  and  feeding  the  child's  pur- 
poses." 

We  now  proceed  to  the  cylinder,  the  reconcilia- 
tion of  the  two  opposites;  an  object 
which  having  qualities  possessed  by  both 
occupies  a  middle  ground  in  which  each  has  some- 
thing in  common. 

Froebel  originally  took  the  doll 1  as  the  interme- 
diate form  "  uniting  in  itself  the  opposites  of  the 
sphere  and  cube,"  and  thus  showed  that  he  under- 
stood child  nature  well,  for  no  toy  follows  the  ball 
with  greater  certainty  than  the  doll. 

The  cylinder,  however,  was  subsequently  se- 
lected, as  being  more  in  line  with  the  other  geo- 
metrical forms  shown  in  the  sequence  of  gifts. 
It  is  as  easily  moved  as  the  sphere,  upon  one 
side ;  as  prone  to  rest  as  the  cube,  when  placed 
upon  the  other ;  it  has  the  curved  surface  of  the 
sphere  and  the  flat  faces  of  the  cube ;  it  has  no 
corners  but  two  curved  edges ;  more  edges  than 
the  sphere,  fewer  than  the  cube ;  less  unity  than 
the  sphere,  more  than  the  cube. 

Its  importance  as  a  mediation,  or  connecting 

1  "But  now  as  man  both  unites  the  single,  which  finds  its 
limits  in  itself,  and  the  manifold,  which  is  constantly  developing1, 
and  reconciles  them  within  himself  as  opposites,  there  results 
also  to  the  child  from  both,  from  sphere  and  cube  outwardly 
united,  the  expression  of  the  animate  and  active,  especially  as 
embodied  in  the  doll."  — Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  106. 


FROEBEVS  SECOND   GIFT  43 

link,  is  further  shown  by  suspending  the  cube  on 
a  string,  by  which  it  may  be  twisted  rapidly  and 
caused  to  revolve  ;  in  this  motion  a  cylinder  being 
readily  seen.  When  the  cylinder  is  spun  in  like 
manner  a  sphere  suddenly  appears,  and  so  the 
wonderful  and  subtle  bond  of  union  is  complete.1 
Let  the  children  call  the  cylinder  a  "  roller  "  or 
"barrel"  if  they  choose,  and  tell  them  Hints  as  to 

.  .          .  ,  ,,  Manner  and 

the  right  name  when  it  is  neediul.  Method. 
Each  gift  must  be  thoroughly  understood  before 
we  pass  to  the  next,  or  there  will  be  no  orderly 
development ;  but  as  the  impressions  have  all 
been  made  through  the  senses  of  the  child,  we 
must  not  expect  him  to  voice  these  impressions 
in  logical  phrases  all  at  once,  so  beware  of  making 
the  lesson  irksome  or  wearisome  to  him  through 
a  formal  questioning  that  does  not  properly  be- 
long to  childhood. 

When  the  keen  appetite  for  knowledge  disap- 
pears we  may  well  despair.  If  several  children 
in  our  class  express  dislike  of  a  certain  exercise  or 
lesson,  and  seem  to  dread  its  appearance,  we  may 
be  well  assured  that  the  fault  lies  in  our  method 

1  "  On  revolving  the  cylinder  on  an  axis  parallel  to  the  circu- 
lar faces,  we  find  that  it  incloses  a  solid,  opaque  sphere ;  teach- 
ing- us  the  lesson,  not  only  that  each  member  of  the  second  gift 
contains  each  and  all  of  the  others,  but  that  whatever  is  in  the 
universe  is  in  every  individual  part  of  it ;  that  even  the  meanest 
holds  the  elements  of  the  noblest ;  that  the  highest  life  is  even 
in  what  in  short-sighted  conceit  we  call  death."  —  W.  N.  Hail- 
mann,  Law  of  Childhood,  page  35. 


44  FROEBEUS  SECOND  GIFT 

of  putting  it  before  them,  and  strive  in  all  humility 
for  a  better  understanding  of  them,  of  ourselves, 
and  of  the  subject. 

We  must  not,  however,  be  too  hard  in  our  self- 
judgments  and  lose  courage.  We  are  not  re- 
sponsible for  a  child  who  is  "  born  tired,"  and  who 
seems  to  have  no  interest  in  anything,  either  in 
heaven  above  or  in  the  earth  beneath,  until,  by 
ingenuity  and  perseverance,  we  are  able  to  open 
the  eyes  and  ears  which  see  and  hear  not. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  discussing  the 
first  play  or  lesson  with  the  second  gift  great  free- 
dom was  advised ;  but  let  us  note  the  difference 
between  liberty  and  lawlessness,  between  sponta- 
neity and  the  confusion  of  self-assertion  which  is 
sometimes  mistaken  for  it. 

No  lesson  or  play  amounts  to  anything  unless 
conducted  with  order  and  harmony,  unless  at  its 
close,  no  matter  how  merry  and  hearty  the  enjoy- 
ment, some  quiet  and  lasting  impression  has  been 
made  on  the  mind.  Many  teachers  miss  the 
happy  medium,  and  in  trying  with  the  best  in- 
tentions to  allow  the  individuality  of  the  child 
proper  development,  only  succeed  in  gaining 
excitement  and  disorder. 

The  second  gift  is,  more  than  any  other,  too 
Dangers  of  much  used  for  mere  obiect  lessons,  and 

Object  Les-  .  .  J 

sons.  these  are  invariably  dangerous  .  because 

there  is  apt  to  be  too  much  impressing  of  the 
teacher's  own  ideas  upon  the  mind,  and  too  little 


FROEBEUS  SECOND  GIFT  45 

actual  handling,  perceiving,  observing,  compar- 
ing, judging,  concluding,  oil  the  child's  part,  and 
that  is  the  only  logical  way  in  which  he  is  able 
to  form  a  clearly  crystallized  idea. 

We  can  have  no  higher  authority  than  Dr. 
Alexander  Bain,  who  says  that  the  object  lesson 
more  than  anything  else  demands  a  careful  hand- 
ling ;  there  being  "  great  danger  lest  an  admir- 
able device  should  settle  down  into  a  plausible 
but  vicious  formality." 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  students  in  kin- 
dergarten training  classes  (and  even  HOW  to  deal 
some  full-fledged  kindergartners)  ex-  SScoSd 
press  a  distaste  for  the  second  gift,  c 
and  it  is,  unfortunately,  even  more  common  to 
find  the  children  dealing  with  it  either  sunk  in 
deepest  apathy,  or  mercifully  oblivious  of  the 
matter  in  hand  and  chatting  with  their  neigh- 
bors. The  fact  is  that  we  have  too  commonly 
made  the  exercises  dull,  dreary  affairs ;  we  have 
doled  out  the  forms  to  the  children  and  asked  a 
series  of  formal  questions  about  them,  giving  no 
experiments,  no  concerted  work,  and  no  opportu- 
nity for  action.  The  children  have  been  intensely 
bored,  therefore  either  stupid  or  wandering,  and 
the  kindergartner  has  attributed  her  want  of  suc- 
cess to  the  gift,  and  not  to  her  method  of  deal- 
ing with  it. 

Let  the  light  of  imagination  shine  on  the  scene, 
and  note  the  answering  sparkle  in  the  children's 


46  FROEBEUS  SECOND  GIFT 

eyes.  Who  cares  for  the  names  of  all  the  faces 
on  a  stupid  block ;  but  who  does  n't  care  when 
it 's  a  house  and  Johnnie  can't  find  his  mother, 
though  he  looks  in  the  front  door  and  the  back 
door,  the  right-hand  door,  the  left-hand  door,  the 
cellar-door,  and  finally  the  trap-door  leading  to 
the  roof?  Nobody  knows,  or  wants  to  know, 
when  questioned  if  the  cylinder  rolls  better  on 
its  flat  circular  face,  or  on  its  rounding  face ;  but 
when  it 's  a  log  of  wood  in  the  forest,  and  must 
be  taken  home  for  winter  fires,  then  it  is  worth 
while  to  experiment  and  see  how  it  may  be  moved 
most  easily. 

The  second  gift,  too,  is  delightful  for  group- 
work  in  the  sand  table,  where  the  objects  may  be 
treated  symbolically,  and  likened  to  a  hundred 
different  things.  With  the  second  gift  beads, 
which  in  the  natural  wood  color  are  admirable 
supplements  to  the  larger  forms,  the  children  are 
always  charmed,  assorting  and  stringing  them 
according  to  fancy  or  dictation,  and  with  the 
addition  of  sticks  making  them  into  rows  of 
soldiers,  trees  in  flowerpots,  kitchen  utensils, 
churns,  stoves,  lamps,  and  divers  other  house- 
hold objects. 

The  kindergartner  may  give  many  a  lesson  in 
the  simple  principles  of  mechanics  with  the  sec- 
ond gift  and  its  rods  and  standards,  allowing  the 
children  to  experiment  freely  as  well  as  to  fol- 
low her  suggestions.  The  pulley,  the  steelyard, 


FROEBEUS  SECOND  GIFT  47 

the  capstan,  the  pump,  the  mechanical  churn,  the 
wheelbarrow,  etc.,  may  all  be  made,  adding  the 
beads  where  necessary,  and  thus  the  child  gain  a 
real  working  knowledge  of  simple  machinery. 

The   preceding   gift   need   not  entirely  disap- 
pear, but   be   used   occasionally   for   a   pleasing 
review  as  a  bond  of  friendly  intercourse  between 
older  and  younger  pupils.1      This  will  Treatment 
convey  an  indirect  hint,  perhaps,  to  the  GiS^S 
little  ones  that   it   is  not  well  to  neg-  Passedover- 
lect  old  friends  for  new  ones,  but  that  they  should 
still  love  and  value  the  playthings  and  playmates 
of  former  days. 

These  three  objects,  the  sphere,  cylinder,  and 
cube,  constitute  a  triad  of  forms  united  Second  Gift 
in  architecture  and  sculpture  producing  ScwteSure 
the  column,  which  is  made  up  of  the  lnndciStbe  in 
pedestal  or  base  (the  cube),  the  shaft  Times' 
(the  cylinder),  and  the  capital  (the  sphere). 

In  a  book  011  Egyptian  antiquities  we  find  that, 
in  the  beginning  of  the  culture  of  that  country, 
the  three  Graces,  or  goddesses  of  beauty,  were 
represented  by  three  cubes  leaning  upon  each 
other.  The  Egyptians  did  not,  of  course,  know 
that  it  was  the  first  regular  form  of  solid  bodies  in 

1  "  The  giving  of  a  new  play  by  no  means  precludes  the  fur- 
ther use  of  the  preceding  and  earlier  plays.  But,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  use  of  the  preceding  play  for  some  time  longer  with 
the  new  play,  and  alternating  with  it,  makes  the  application  of 
the  new  play  so  much  the  easier  and  more  widely  significant."  — 
Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  145. 


48  FROEBEUS  SECOND  GIFT 

nature  or  crystallization ;  but  the  significant  fact 
again  brings  us  to  the  thought  expressed  in  the 
first  lecture :  "  It  would  seem,  indeed,  as  though 
Froebel,  in  selecting  his  gifts,  looked  far  back 
into  the  past  of  humanity,  and  there  sought  the 
thread  which  from  the  beginning  connects  all 
times  and  leads  to  the  farthest  future." 

And  here  we  leave  the  second  gift,  that  trinity 
of  forms  which,  wrought  in  marble,  marks  the 
place  dear  and  sacred  to  all  kindergart- 
^^  the  graye  of  Froebel,  —  a  simple 
monument  to  one  so  great,  yet  so  connected  with 
our  study  and  the  child's  experience  that  with  all 
its  simplicity  it  is  strangely  effective.  A  still 
more  enduring  monument  he  has  in  the  millions 
of  happy  children  who  have  found  their  way  to 
knowledge  through  the  door  which  he  opened  to 
them ;  indeed,  if  half  the  children  he  has  bene- 
fited could  build  a  tower  of  these  tiny  blocks  to 
commemorate  his  life  and  death,  its  point  would 
reach  higher  than  St.  Peter's  dome  and  draw  the 
thoughts  of  men  to  heaven. 

This  gift  can  hardly  be  studied  but  that  an 
suggestions  inner  unity,  born  of  these  reconciled 
of  the  Gift.  contrasts,  suggests  itself  to  the  imagina- 
tion. 

The  cube  seems  to  stand  as  the  symbol  of  the 
inorganic,  the  mineral  kingdom,  with  its  wonder- 
ful crystals ;  the  cylinder  as  the  type  of  vegeta- 
ble life,  suggesting  the  roots,  stems,  and  branches, 


FROEBEVS  SECOND   GIFT  49 

with  their  rounded  sides,  and  forming  a  beautiful 
connection  between  the  cube,  that  emblem  of 
"  things  in  the  earth  beneath,"  and  the  sphere 
which  completes  the  trinity  and  speaks  to  us 
of  a  never-ending  and  perfect  whole  having 
"  Unity  for  its  centre,  Diversity  for  its  circumfer- 
ence." 

The  cube  seems  to  suggest  rest,  immobility; 
the  cylinder,  in  this  connection,  growth;  and  the 
sphere,  perfection,  completeness,  —  so  delicately 
poised  it  is,  —  only  kept  in  its  proper  place  by 
the  most  exquisite  adjustment.  And  so  to  us, 
sometimes,  the  things  that  are  visible  become 
luminous  with  suggestions  of  greater  realities 
which  are  yet  unseen  ;  and  in  the  least  we  dis- 
cern a  faint  radiance  of  the  greatest. 

Things  that  are  small  mirror  things  that  are 
mighty.  The  tiny  sphere  is  an  emblem  of  the 
"big  round  world"  and  the  planetary  systems. 
The  cube  recalls  the  wonderful  crystals,  and  shows 
the  form  that  men  reflect  in  architecture  and 
sculpture.  As  for  the  cylinder  it  is  Nature's 
special  form,  and  God  has  taught  man  through 
Nature  to  use  it  in  a  thousand  ways,  and  indeed 
has  himself  fashioned  man  more  or  less  in  its 
shape. 

Mr.  Hailmann  says :  "  The  second  gift  pre- 
sents types  of  the  principal  phases  of  human  de- 
velopment ;  from  the  easy  mobility  of  infancy 
and  childhood,  —  the  ball,  —  we  pass  through  the 


50  FROEBEVS  SECOND  GIFT 

half-steady  stages  of  boyhood  and  girlhood,  rep- 
resented in  the  cylinder,  to  the  firm  character 
of  manhood  and  womanhood  for  which  the  cube 
furnishes  the  formula." 

Bishop  Brooks,  speaking  from  the  words,  "  The 
length  and  the  breadth  of  it  are  equal,"  in  his  ser- 
mon on  Symmetry  of  Life,  uses  the  cube  as  a  sym- 
bol of  perfect  character :  The  personal  push  of  a 
life  forward,  its  outreach  laterally  or  the  going 
out  in  sympathy  to  others,  the  upward  reach  to- 
ward God,  —  these  he  considers  the  three  life 
dimensions.  But  such  building  must  be  done 
without  nervous  haste  ;  the  foundation  must  hint 
solidly  of  the  threefold  purpose  ;  length,  breadth, 
and  thickness  must  be  kept  in  proportion,  if  the 
perfect  cube  of  life  is  ever  to  be  found. 

NOTE  ON  SECOND  GiFT.1  "The  second  gift, 
even  in  the  nursery,  calls  for  modifications  from 
the  form  in  which  it  comes  to  us  from  Froebel. 
It  is  incomparable  in  its  rich  symbolism  for  illus- 
trating Froebel's  thought  to  mature  minds,  and 
answers  quite  a  useful  purpose  in  the  nursery, 
where  it  may  help  mamma  tell  her  stories.  But 
in  the  kindergarten  the  child  wants  to  build  with 
blocks.  Hence,  the  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth 
gifts  are  indicated;  the  second  gift,  as  such,  is, 
to  say  the  least,  an  anachronism.  Only  in  the 
form  of  the  beads,  or  some  similar  expedient 

1  W.  N.  Hailraann. 


FBOEBEL'S  SECOND  GIFT  51 

which  gives  many  of  these  things  for  control,  will 
it  satisfy  the  kindergarten  child.  When  he  is  ex- 
pected to  study  the  cube,  as  an  object  lesson,  to 
count  the  squares  and  corners  and  tell  where  they 
are,  it  is  wholly  unpalatable  to  him  and  entirely 
•  foreign  to  his  plans." 

THOUGHTS   ON   THE   DISCRIMINATIVE   POWER. 

"  Mind  starts  from  Discrimination.  The  con- 
sciousness of  difference  is  the  beginning  of  every 
intellectual  exercise." 

"  Our  intelligence  is,  therefore,  absolutely  lim- 
ited by  our  power  of  discrimination  ;  the  other 
functions  of  intellect,  the  retentive  power,  for  in- 
stance, are  not  called  into  play  until  we  have  first 
discriminated  a  number  of  things." 

"  The  minuteness  or  delicacy  of  the  feeling  of 
difference  is  the  measure  of  the  variety  and  mul- 
titude of  our  primary  impressions  and  therefore 
of  our  stored-up  recollections." 

"  Bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  until  a  difference 
is  felt  between  two  things,  intelligence  has  not 
yet  made  the  first  step." 

"  The  higher  arts  of  comparison  to  impress  dif- 
ference are  best  illustrated  when  both  differences 
and  agreements  have  to  be  noted,  i.  e.,  similari- 
ties and  dissimilarities." 

"Discrimination   is   the   necessary  prelude   of 


52  FEOEBEVS  SECOND   GIFT 

every  intellectual  impression  as  the  basis  of  our 
stored-up  knowledge  or  memory." 

Definition  of  the  state  of  mind  significantly 
named  Indifference,  —  "  the  state  where  differing 
impressions  fail  to  be  recognized  as  distinct." 

"  The  retentive  power  works  up  to  the  height 
of  the  discriminative  power ;  it  can  do  no  more." 

ALEX.  BAIN. 

"The  most  delightful  and  fruitful  of  all  the 
intellectual  energies  is  the  perception  of  similarity 
and  agreement,  by  which  we  rise  from  the  indi- 
vidual to  the  general,  trace  sameness  in  diversity, 
and  master  instead  of  being  mastered  by  the  mul- 
tiplicity of  nature."  FKIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  It  is  by  comparisons  that  we  ascertain  the 
difference  which  exists  between  things,  and  it 
is  by  comparisons,  also,  that  we  ascertain  the  gen- 
eral features  of  things,  and  it  is  by  comparisons 
that  we  reach  general  propositions.  In  fact,  com- 
parisons are  at  the  bottom  of  all  philosophy." 

Louis  AGASSIZ. 

READINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

From  Cradle  to  School.     Bertha  Meyer.     Pages  132,  133. 

The  Kindergarten.     Emily  Shirr eff.     11,  12. 

Lectures  on  Child-Culture.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     26,  27. 

Froebel  and  Education  by  Self -Activity.  H.  Courtliope  Bowen. 
138-40. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     J.  and  B.  Ronge.     3-5. 

Koehler's  Kindergarten  Practice.  Tr.  by  Mary  Gurney.  47- 
49. 


FROEBEUS  SECOND   GIFT  53 

Kindergarten  at  Home.     Emily  Shirr eff.     47-49. 

Kindergarten  Culture.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     46,  51,  54. 

Childhood's  Poetry  and  Studies.  E.  Marwedel.  Part  II. 
16-42. 

Pedagogics  of  the  Kindergarten.     Fr.  Froebel.     69-107. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     9-11. 

Law  of  Childhood.      W.  N.  Hailmann.    33-35. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     15-27. 

Education  of  Man.     Fr.  Froebel.     107-10. 

Kindergarten  Toys.     H.  Hoffmann.     12-17. 

Architecture,  Mysticism,  and  Myth.     W.  K.  Lethaby.    50,  65. 

Stories  of  Industry.     Vols.  i.  and  ii.     A.  Chase  and  E.  Clow. 

Ethics  of  the  Dust.     John  Ruskin. 

Mme.  A.  de  Portugall's  Synoptical  Table,  as  given  in  "  Essays 
on  the  Kindergarten." 


THE   BUILDING   GIFTS 

THE  Building  Gifts  meet  two  very  strongly 
marked  tendencies  in  the  child,  a.  The  tendency 
to  investigate,  b.  The  tendency  to  transform. 

The  first  and  second  gifts  consist  of  undi- 
vided units,  each  one  of  which  stands  in  relation 
to  a  larger  whole,  or  to  a  class  of  objects. 

The  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  gifts  are 
divided  units,  and  their  significance  lies  in  the 
relationship  of  the  parts  to  one  another,  and  to 
the  whole  of  which  they  are  the  parts. 

The  effect  of  the  Building  Gifts  is  to  develop 
the  constructive  powers  of  the  child.  Their  sec- 
ondary importance  lies  in  the  fact  that  they 
afford  striking  fundamental  perceptions  of  Form, 
Size,  Number,  Relation,  and  Position. 

The  following  rules  should  govern  the  dictation 
exercises :  — 

BUILDING   RULES. 

1.  Use  all  material  in  order  to  keep  the  idea 
of  relation  of  parts  to  a  whole,  and  because  all 
unused  material  is  wasted  material.1 

1  "  In  each  construction  the  whole  of  the  materials  must  be 
used ;  or  at  least  each  separate  piece  must  be  arranged  so  as 
to  stand  in  some  actual  relation  to  the  whole.  While  this 
awakens  the  thinking  spirit,  it  also  strengthens  and  elevates  the 


THE  BUILDING   GIFTS  55 

2.  Build  on  the  squares  of  the  table  in  order 
to  develop  accuracy  and  symmetry. 

3.  "  Induce   the   child   to   form   other   wholes 
gradually  and   systematically   from   the   various 
parts  of   the  cube.     In  doing  this  the  laws  of 
contrast  and  development  must  be  your  guide." 

KOEHLEB. 

4.  Give    names    to    each    object   constructed, 
thereby  bringing  it  into  relation  with  the  child's 
experience;   for   the   miniature   model  serves  to 
interpret   more   clearly  to  him  the  object  which 
it  represents. 

5.  Connect  with  the  child's  life  and  sympathy 
in  order  to  increase  his  interest  and  develop  the 
tendency  to  view  things  in  their  right  relations. 

6.  "  The    younger   the   child,    the    more    you 
should  talk  about  the  thing  which   you   intend 
to  construct.     You  should  intersperse  passing  ob- 
servations or  short  songs.     As  the  children  gain 
intelligence,  this  conversation  will  be  replaced  by 
more   formal   descriptions   of    the   things   repre- 
sented." KOEHLEB. 

7.  Begin  with  Life  forms  and  proceed  from 
these  to  forms  of  Beauty  and  Knowledge. 

8.  Allow  no  child  to  rely  upon  the  blocks  of 
his  playmates  in  his  building,  —  thus  he  will  learn 
economy,  self-reliance,  and  independence  of  action. 

imagination  ;  because  amidst  so  much  variety,  the  underlying 
unity  is  made  visibly  apparent."  —  Froebel's  Letters,  tr.  by  Mi- 
chaelis  and  Moore,  page  72. 


56  THE  BUILDING   GIFTS 

This  should  not  be  carried  too  far,  or  rather  the 
necessity  and  beauty  of  interdependence  should 
also  be  taught.  Herein,  indeed,  lies  more  than 
at  first  appears.  To  make  the  most  out  of 
little  is  the  great  work  of  life ;  to  be  contented 
with  what  one  has,  and  to  make  the  best  of  it 
with  happiness  and  contentment  is  surely  no 
small  lesson,  and  one  which  is  constantly,  though 
indirectly,  taught  in  the  kindergarten  work  and 
plays  and  lessons. 

9.  Group  work,  or  united  building,  should  fre- 
quently be  introduced.     "  Every  direction  given 
by  the  kindergartner  should  be  followed  by  spon- 
taneous work  (either  in  word   or  deed)  by  the 
child.     This  must   not   only   be   individual,  but 
synthesized  for  the  community." 

10.  Often  encourage  the  class  to  imitate  some 
specially  attractive    form  which   has    been    pro- 
duced by  a  child,  and  named  according  to  his 
fancy. 

11.  Accustom  the  child  to  develop  figures  or 
forms  by  slight  changes  rather  than  by  rudely 
destroying  each  single  one  preparatory   to  con- 
structing another.     From  learning  to  be  strictly 
methodical  in  his  actions,  he  will  become  so  in 
his  later  reasoning. 

12.  "  Let  the  child,  if  possible,  correct  his  own 
mistakes,  and  do  not  constantly  interfere  with  his 
work.     Whatever  he  is  able  to  do  for  himself,  no 
one  should  do  for  him."  KOEHLER. 


FROEBEL'S   THIRD   GIFT 

"  All  children  have  the  building  instinct,  and  '  to  make  a 
house  '  is  a  universal  form  of  unguided  play." 

"  It  is  not  a  mere  pastime,  but  a  key  with  which  to  open  the 
outer  world,  and  a  means  of  awakening  the  inner  world." 

"  This  gift  includes  in  itself  more  outward  manifoldness,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  makes  the  inward  manifoldness  yet  more  per- 
ceptible and  manifest." 

"  The  plaything  shows  also  the  ultimate  type  of  structures 
put  together  by  human  hand  which  stand  in  their  substantiality 
around  the  child."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  The  definitely  productive  exercises  begin  with  the  third 
gift."  SUSAN  E.  BLOW. 

1.  THE  third  gift  is  a  wooden  cube  measuring 
two  inches  in  each  of  its  dimensions.     It  is  di- 
vided once  in  its  height,  breadth,  and  thickness, 
according  to  the  three  dimensions  which  define  a 
solid,  and  thus  eight  smaller  cubes  are  produced. 

2.  We  pass  from  the  undivided  to  the  divided 
unit,  emphasizing  the  fact  that  unity  still  exists, 
though  divisibility  enters  as  a  new  factor. 

3.  The  most   important  characteristics  of  the 
gift  are  contrasts  of  size  resulting  in  the  abstrac- 
tion of  form  from  size  ;  increase  of  material  as  a 
whole,  decrease  of  size  in  parts ;  increase  of  facili- 
ties in  illustrating  form  and  number. 


58  FROEBEVS   TRIED   GIFT 

The  new  experience  to  be  found  in  this  first 
divided  body  is  the  idea  of  relativity;  of  the 
whole  in  its  relation  to  the  parts  (each  an  em- 
bryo whole),  and  of  the  parts  in  relation  to  the 
whole. 

The  form  of  the  parts  is  like  the  form  of  the 
whole,  but,  in  shape  alike,  the  dissimilarity  is  in 
size ;  the  fact  becoming  more  apparent  by  a  vari- 
ety of  combinations  of  a  different  number  of 
parts :  thus  the  relations  of  numbers  are  intro- 
duced to  the  observation  of  the  child  together 
with  those  of  form  and  magnitude. 

4.  The  third  gift  was  intended  by  Froebel  to 
meet  the  necessities  of  the  child  at  a  period  when, 
no  longer  satisfied  with  the  external  appearances 
of  things,  he  strives  to  penetrate  their  internal 
conditions,  and  begins  to  realize  the  many  differ- 
ent possibilities  of  the  same  element. 

5.  The  geometrical  forms  illustrated  in  this  gift 
are:  — 

f  Cube. 
Solids.  <  Square  Prism. 

(  Rectangular  Parallelepiped. 

Planes,  j  ^uare' 
(  Oblong. 

6.  Froebel  intends  the  building  exercise  to  be 
carried  on  in  a  certain  way  with  a  view  of  estab- 
lishing  a   law   to  regulate   the   child's   activity. 
The  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the  figure  — the 
contrasts  —  are   first  brought  into   position,  and 


FEOEBEVS   THIRD  GIFT  59 

the  balance  is  established  by  the  intermediates  — 
right  and  left. 

The  cube  itself  is  divided  according  to  the  law 
of  Mediation  of  Contrasts.  The  contrasts  of 
exterior  and  interior,  whole  and  parts,  analysis 
and  synthesis,  are  also  brought  into  relation  with 
each  other. 

Mr.  W.  N.  Hailmann  says  that  the  third  gift 
marks  an  important  step  in  the  mental  Haiimann<m 
life  of  the  child.  Heretofore,  he  has  ThirdGift- 
had  to  do  with  playthings  indivisible,  whole,  com- 
plete in  themselves.  Every  impression,  or,  rather, 
every  fact,  came  to  him  as  a  unit,  a  one,  an  indi- 
visible whole. 

The  analyses  and  syntheses  that  are  presented 
to  him  in  the  first  and  second  gifts  come  ready- 
made  as  it  were,  so  that  the  joyous  exercise  of 
his  instinctive  activity,  guided  and  directed  by 
the  judicious,  loving  mother,  is  sufficient  to  give 
him  control  of  them ;  indeed,  the  first  and  sec- 
ond gifts  hold  to  his  mental  development  the 
same  relation  that  the  mother's  milk  holds  to  his 
physical  growth. 

But  the  third  gift  satisfies  the  growing  desire 
for  independent  activity,  for  the  exercise  of  his 
own  power  of  analysis  and  synthesis,  of  taking 
apart  and  putting  together.1 

1  "  The  idea  of  separation  gained  here  in  concrete  form  be- 
comes typical  of  that  condition  which  must  always  exist  in  any 


60  FROEBEVS   THIRD   GIFT 

Simple  as  this  first  building  gift  appears,  it  is 
simplicity  capable  of  great  things.  It  lends  itself 
biiityAo?Pthe  to  a  hundred  practical  lessons  and  a 
hundred  charming  transformations,  but 
if  it  is  not  thoroughly  comprehended  it  will  never 
be  well  or  effectively  used  by  the  kindergartner, 
and  will  be  nothing  more  to  her  than  to  uninter- 
ested observers,  who  see  in  it  nothing  more  than 
eight  commonplace  little  blocks  in  a  wooden  box. 

Froebel  says  if  his  educational  materials  are 
found  useful  it  cannot  be  because  of  their  exte- 
rior, which  is  as  plain  as  possible  and  contains 
nothing  new,  but  that  their  worth  is  to  be  found 
exclusively  in  their  application. 

Therefore  these  simple  devices  with  which  we 
HOW  chii-  carry  on  our  education  should  never  seem 

dren  are  to  •  n»          f  • 

be  reached,  trifling,  for  we  are  compelled  m  teaching 
very  young  children  to  put  forth  all  gentle  allure- 
ments to  the  gaining  of  knowledge. 

They  are  to  be  reached  chiefly  by  the  charms 
of  sense,  novelty,  and  variety,  and  consequently,  to 
please  such  active  and  imaginative  little  critics, 
our  lessons  must  be  fresh,  vivid,  vigorous,  and  to 
the  point. 

To  accomplish  this,  we  can  see  that  not  only 
is  absolute  knowledge  necessary,  but  that  a  well 
developed  sensibility  and  imagination  are  needed 

growth  —  the  seed  breaks  through  its  covering's,  and  seems  to 
divide  itself  into  distinct  parts,  each  having1  its  function  in  the 
growth  of  the  whole  plant."  (Alice  H.  Putnam.) 


FEOEBEVS   THIRD  GIFT  61 

in  leading  the  child  from  the  indefinite  to  the 
definite,  from  universal  to  particular,  and  What  is  Nec 
from  concrete  to  abstract.  The  worth  of  fSrJ£°Jin. 
the  gifts  then,  we  repeat,  lies  exclusively  dergartner- 
in  their  application  ;  the  rude  little  forms  must  be 
used  so  that. the  child's  imagination  and  sympathy 
will  be  reached. 

We  may  be  thankful  that  this  heaven-born  im- 
aginative faculty  is  the  heritage  of  every  Imagination 
child,  —  that  it  is  hard  to  kill  and  lives  SiSei^S? 
on  very  short  rations.  The  little  boy  ner' 
ties  a  string  around  a  stone  and  drags  it  through 
dust  and  mire  with  happy  conviction  that  it  is  a 
go-cart.  The  little  girl  wraps  up  a  stocking  or  a 
towel  with  tender  hands,  winds  her  shawl  about 
it,  and  at  once  the  God-given  maternal  instinct 
leaps  into  life,  —  in  an  instant  she  has  it  in  her 
arms.  She  kisses  its  cotton  head  and  sings  it  to 
sleep  in  divine  unconsciousness  of  any  incomplete- 
ness, for  love  supplies  many  deficiencies.  So  let 
us  cherish  the  child  heart  in  ourselves  and  never 
look  with  scorn  upon  the  rude  suggestions  of  the 
forms  the  child  has  built,  but  rather  enter  into 
the  play,  enriching  it  with  our  own  imaginative 
power.  The  children  will  rarely  perceive  any 
incongruities,  and  surely  we  need  not  hint  them, 
any  more  than  we  would  remind  a  child  needlessly 
that  her  doll  is  stuffed  with  sawdust  and  has  a 
plaster  head,  when  she  thinks  it  a  responsive  and 
affectionate  little  daughter. 


62  FBOEBEVS   THIED  GIFT 

Middendorf  said,  "  This  is  like  a  fresh  bath 
for  the  human  soul,  when  we  dare  to  be  children 
again  with  children.1  The  burdens  of  life  could 
not  be  borne  were  it  not  for  real  gayety  of  heart." 

"  If  it  were  only  the  play  and  the  mere  outward 
apparatus,"  says  the  Baroness  von  Marenholtz- 
Biilow,  "  we  might  indeed  find  our  daily  teaching 
monotonous,  but  the  idea  at  the  foundation  of  it 
and  the  contemplation  of  the  being  of  man  and 
its  development  in  the  child  is  an  inexhaustible 
mine  of  interesting  discovery." 

This  third  gift  satisfies  the  child's  craving  to 
Reasons  for  take  things  to  pieces.  Froebel  did  not 

Choice  of  .,..,» 

Third  Gift,  choose  it  arbitrarily,  for  Nature,  human 
and  physical,  was  an  open  handbook  to  him,  and 
if  we  study  deeply  and  sympathetically  the  rea- 
sons for  his  choice  they  will  always  be  compre- 
hended.2 Fenelon  says,  "  The  curiosity  of  chil- 
dren is  a  natural  tendency,  which  goes  in  the  van 
of  instruction."  Destruction  after  all  is  only 

1  "  If  we  want  to  educate  children,  we  must  be  children  with 
them  ourselves."     (Martin  Luther.) 

2  "  What  must  we  furnish  to  the  child  after  the  self-contained 
ball,  after  the  hard  sphere,  every  part  of  which  is  similar,  and 
after  the  single  solid  cube  ?     It  must  be  something  firm  which 
can  be  easily  pulled  apart  by  the  child's  strength,  and  just  as 
easily  put  together  again.     Therefore  it  must  also  be  something 
which  is  simple,  yet  multiform  ;  and  what  should  this  be,  after 
what  we  have  perceived  up  to  this  point,  and  in  view  of  what 
the  surrounding  world  affords  us,  but  the  cube  divided  through 
the   centre   by  three  planes  perpendicular  to  one  another."  — 
Froebel's  Pedagogics, 

* 


FROEBEUS   THIRD  GIFT  63 

constructive  faculty  turned  back  upon  itself.  The 
child,  having  no  legitimate  outlet  for  his  creative 
instinct,  pulls  his  playthings  to  pieces,  to  see  what 
is  inside, —  what  they  are  made  of  and  how  they  are 
put  together ; 1  but  to  his  chagrin  he  finds  it  not 
so  easy  to  reunite  the  tattered  fragments. 

In  the  divided  cube,  however,  he  can  gratify  his 
desires,  and  at  the  same  time  possess  the  joy  of 
doing  right  and  destroying  nothing,  for  the  eight 
little  blocks  can  be  quickly  united  into  their  origi- 
nal form,  and  also  into  many  other  pleasing  little 
forms,  each  one  complete  in  itself,  so  that  every 
analysis  ends  as  it  should,  in  synthesis. 

Froebel  calls  this  gift  specifically  "the  chil- 
dren's delight,"  and  indeed  it  is,  responding  so 
generously  to  their  spontaneous  activity,  while  at 
the  same  time  it  suits  their  small  capabilities,  for 
the  possibilities  of  an  object  used  for  form  study 
should  not  be  too  varied.  "  It  must  be  suggestive 
through  its  limitations,"  says  Miss  Blow,  "  for 
the  young  mind  may  be  as  easily  crushed  by  ex- 
cess as  by  defect."  2 

1  "  Unmaking  is  as  important  as  making  to  the  child.     His 
destructive  energy  is  as  essential  to  him  as  his  power  of  construc- 
tion."    (W.  T.  Harris.) 

"  The  child  wishes  to  discover  the  inside  of  the  thing-,  being 
urged  to  this  by  an  impulse  he  has  not  given  to  himself,  —  the 
impulse  which,  rightly  recognized  and  rightly  guided,  seeks  to 
know  God  in  all  his  works.  .  .  .  Where  can  the  child  seek  for 
satisfaction  of  his  impulse  to  research  but  from  the  thing  it- 
self ?  "  —  Friedrich  Froebel,  Education  of  Man. 

2  "  An  element  which  slumbers  like  a  viper   under  roses   is 


64  FROEBEUS   THIRD   GIFT 

Froebel  was  left  motherless  at  a  very  early  age, 
and  during  his  first  four  years  of  life  his  father 
was  entirely  engrossed  with  parish  duties,  and  the 
child  had  only  occasional  supervision  from  a  hard- 
worked  servant.  Thus  it  happened  that  he  was 
frequently  alone  long  hours  at  a  time  in  a  dusky 
room  overshadowed  by  the  neighboring  church, 
and  naturally  strayed  often  to  the  window,  from 
whence  he  might  look  down  upon  the  busy  world 
outside.  He  recalls  that  he  was  greatly  interested 
at  one  time  in  some  workmen  who  were  repairing 
the  church,  and  that  he  constantly  turned  from 
his  post  of  observation  to  try  and  imitate  their 
labors,  but  his  only  building  material  was  the 
furniture  of  the  room,  and  chairs  and  tables 
clumsily  resisted  his  efforts  to  pile  them  up  into 
suitable  form.  He  tells  us  that  this  strong  desire 
for  building  and  the  bitter  disappointment  of  his 
repeated  failures  were  still  keenly  remembered 
when  he  was  a  grown  man,  and  thus  suggested 
to  him  that  children  ought  to  be  provided  with 
materials  for  building  among  their  playthings. 
He  often  noticed  also,  in  later  years,  that  all  chil- 
dren seem  to  have  the  building  instinct,  cor- 
responding to  what  Dr.  Seguin  calls  "  the  build- 
that  which  is  now  so  frequently  provided  as  a  plaything  for 
children  ;  it  is,  in  a  word,  the  already  too  complex  and  ornate, 
too  finished  toy.  The  child  can  beg-in  no  new  thing  with  it,  can- 
not produce  enough  variety  by  means  of  it ;  his  power  of  crea- 
tive imagination,  his  power  of  giving  outward  form  to  his  own 
idea,  are  thus  actually  deadened."  — Froebel's  Pedagogics. 


FROEBEVS   THIRD  GIFT  65 

ing  mania  in  the  infancy  of  peoples,"  and  that 
"  to  make  a  house  is  the  universal  form  of  un- 
guided  play."  1 

We  now  understand  the  meaning  of  the  gift, 
the  reason  for  its  importance  in  Froebel's  plan, 
and  its  capabilities  as  a  vehicle  for  delightful 
instruction. 

There  are  three  different  classes  of  forms  for 
dictation  and  invention,  variously  named  Classe8  of 
by  kindergartners.  Form8> 

1.  Life    forms,   or   upright   forms,   which  are 
seen  in  the  child's  daily  life,  as  a  pair  of  boots,  a 
chair,  table,  bed,  or  sofa.      Froebel  calls  them 
also  object  forms,  or  forms  of  things. 

("The  child  demands  that  the  object  con- 
structed stand  in  connection  with  himself,  his 
life,  or  somebody  or  something  in  his  life."  — 
Froebel.) 

2.  Mathematical   forms,  or   various   combina- 
tions of  the  blocks,  upright  and  supine,  for  math- 
ematical exercises.    They  correspond  to  the  forms 
of  knowledge  in  Logic. 

(Also  called  by  Froebel  forms  of  truth,  forms 
of  instruction,  forms  of  learning.) 

1  "  One  of  the  greatest  and  most  universal  delights  of  chil- 
dren is  to  construct  for  themselves  a  habitation  of  some  sort, 
either  in  the  garden  or  indoors,  where  chairs  have  generally  to 
serve  their  purpose.  Instinct  leads  them,  as  it  does  all  animals, 
to  procure  shelter  and  protection  for  their  persons,  individual 
outward  self-existence  and  independence."  —  Bertha  von  Ma- 
renholtz-Biilow,  Child  and  Child  Nature. 


66  FROEBEVS   THIRD  GIFT 

3.  Symmetrical  forms,  or  flat  designs  formed 
by  opposites  and  their  intermediates.  These  are 
figures  in  which  four  of  the  blocks  generally  re- 
volve in  order  around  the  other  four  as  a  centre. 

(Also  called  by  Froebel  picture  forms,  flower 
forms,  star  forms,  dance  forms.) 

LIFE    FORMS. 

Life  forms   should  be  given  first,  as  the  nat- 
ural tendency  of  the  young  child  is  to 

Life  Forms.  .  & 

pile  things  up,1  and  these  forms  seem 
simpler  for  dictation,  are  more  readily  grasped 
by  the  mind,  and  more  fascinating  to  the  imagi- 
nation. They  are  the  images  of  things  both  dear 
and  familiar  to  him,  and  thus  are  particularly 
adapted  to  the  beginning  since  the  "starting 
point  of  the  child's  development  is  the  heart  and 
the  emotions."  It  is  easier  for  him  to  be  an 
architect  at  first  than  an  artist,  though  each  will 
be  comprehended  in  the  other  after  a  time.2 

1  "  The  building  or  piling  up  is  with  the  child,  as  with  the 
development  of  the  human  race,  and  as  with  the  fixed  forms  in 
Nature,  the  first"  —  Froebel's  Education  of  Man. 

1 '  Towers,  pyramids,  up,  up,  connecting-  themselves  with  some- 
thing high,  voicing  aspiration." 

2  "  The  representation  of  facts  and  circumstances  of  history, 
of   geography,  and   especially  of   every-day  life,  by  means  of 
building,  I  hold  to  be  in  the  highest  degree  important  for  chil- 
dren, even  if  these  representations  are  imperfect  and  fall  far 
short  of  their  originals.     The  eye  is  at  all  events  aroused  and 
stimulated  to  observe  with  greater  precision   than  before  the 
object  that  has  been  represented.  .  .  .  And  thus,  by  means  of 


FROEBEVS   TRIED   GIFT  67 

The  dictations  should  be  given  very  simply, 
clearly,  and  slowly,  always  using  one  set  of  terms 
to  express  a  certain  meaning,  and  having  those 
absolutely  correct.  We  should  never  give  dicta- 
tions from  a  book,  but  from  memory,  having  pre- 
pared the  lesson  beforehand,  and  should  remem- 
ber that  every  exercise  we  give  should  "  incite  and 
develop  self-activity."  We  must  guard  against 
mistakes  or  confusion  in  our  own  minds  ;  it  is 
very  easy  to  confuse  the  child,  and  he  will  be- 
come inattentive  and  careless  if  he  is  unable  to 
catch  our  meaning. 

Brief  stories  should  occasionally  be  told,  just 
mere  outlines  to  give  color  and  force  to  the 
child's  building,  and  connect  it  with  his  experi- 
ence. If  it  is  an  armchair,  grandmother  may 
sit  in  it  knitting  the  baby's  stocking.  If  it  is  a 
well,  describe  the  digging  of  it,  the  lining  with 
stones  or  brick,  the  inflowing  of  the  water,  the 
letting  down  of  the  bucket  and  long  chain,  the 
clear,  cool  water  coming  up  from  the  deep,  dark 
hole  in  the  ground  on  a  hot  summer's  day.  These, 
of  course,  are  but  the  merest  suggestions  which 
experience  may  be  trusted  to  develop. 

It  is  better,  perhaps,  to  give  a  bit  of  word- 
painting  to  each  object  constructed  than  to  wait 
till  the  end  of  the  series  for  the  day  and  tell  a 

perhaps  a  quite  imperfect  outward  representation,  the  inner 
perception  is  made  more  perfect." — Froebel's  Letters,  tr.  by 
Michaelis  and  Moore,  page  99. 


68  FEOEBEVS   THIRD  GIFT 

longer  story,  as  the  interest  is  thus  more  easily 
sustained.  The  children,  too,  should  be  encour- 
aged to  talk  about  the  forms  and  tell  little  stories 
concerning  them.  The  form  created  should  never 
be  destroyed,  but  transformed  into  the  next  in 
order  by  a  few  simple  movements. 

SYMMETKICAL    FORMS. 

"These  forms,  in  spite  of  their  regularity,  are 
symmetrical  called  forms  of  beauty.  The  mathe- 
matical forms  which  Froebel  designates 
forms  of  knowledge  give  only  the  skeleton  from 
which  the  beautiful  form  develops  itself. 

"  Symmetry  of  the  parts  which  make  up  these 
simple  figures  gives  the  impression  of  beauty  to 
the  childish  eye.  He  must  have  the  elements  of 
the  beautiful  before  he  is  in  a  condition  to  com- 
prehend it  in  its  whole  extent. 

"  Only  what  is  simple  gives  light  to  the  child  at 
first.  He  can  only  operate  with  a  small  number 
of  materials,  therefore  Froebel  gives  only  eight 
cubes  for  this  object  at  this  time." 

Of  course  these  three  classes  of  forms  are  not 
to  be  kept  arbitrarily  separate,  and  the  children 
finish  and  lay  aside  one  set  before  attempting 
another.  There  are  many  cases  where  the  three 
may  be  united,  as  indeed  they  are  morally  speak- 
ing in  the  life  of  every  human  being. 

When  the  distinctions  are  clear  in  our  own 
minds,  our  knowledge  and  tact  will  guide  us  to 


FEOEBEVS   THIRD  GIFT  69 

introduce  the  gift  properly,  and  carry  it  on  in  a 
natural,  orderly,  and  rational  manner,  not  restrict- 
ing the  child's  own  productive  powers. 

If  the  children  have  had  time  to  imbibe  a 
love  of  symmetry  and  beauty,  and  have  been 
trained  to  observe  and  delight  in  them,  then  this 
second  class  of  forms  will  attract  them  as  much, 
after  a  little,  as  the  first,  though  more  difficult  of 
execution. 

Each  sequence  starts  from  a  definite  point,  the 
four  outside  blocks  revolving  round  the  central 
four,  and  going  through  or  "  dancing  through," 
as  Froebel  says,  all  the  successive  figures  before 
returning  in  the  opposite  direction. 

All  the  dictations  are  most  valuable  intellec- 
tually, but  should  not  be  long-continued  at  one 
time,  as  they  require  great  concentration  of 
mind,  and  are  consequently  wearisome. 

Excellent  exercises  or  suggestions  for  building 
can  be  found  in  Ronge's  "  Kindergarten   Hints  from 
Guide."     He  mentions  one  pleasant  lit-  "oSe." 
tie  play  which  I  will  quote.     "  When  each  in  the 
class  has  produced  a  different  form,  let  the  chil- 
dren rise  and  march  round  the  table  to  observe 
the  variety."      Let  them  sing  in  the  ascending 
and  descending  scales  :  — 

Many  pretty  forms  I  see, 

Which  one  seems  the  best  to  me  ? 

At  another  time  let  each  child  try  to  build  the 


70  FROEBEVS   THIRD  GIFT 

house  he  lives  in,  and  while  this  is  being  done,  let 
them  join  in  singing  some  song  about  home.  It 
is  well  to  encourage  singing  during  the  building 
exercises,  as  we  have  so  many  appropriate  selec- 
tions.1 

With  the  first  of  the  Building  Gifts  enters  a 
Group  new  variety  of  group  work,  which  was 
Work-  not  adapted  for  the  first  and  second 
gifts.  The  children  may  now  be  seated  at  square 
tables,  one  at  each  side,  and  build  in  unison  in 
the  centre,  the  form  produced  being  of  course 
four  times  as  large  and  fine  as  any  one  of  the 
number  could  have  produced  alone.  All  the  sug- 
gestions or  directions  for  building  are  necessarily 
carried  out  together,  and  the  success  of  the  com- 
pleted form  is  obviously  dependent  on  the  cooper- 
ation of  all  four  children.  Forms  of  Beauty  are 
very  easily  constructed  in  this  manner,  as  well  as 
forms  of  Life,  having  four  uniform  sides,  and 
when  the  little  ones  are  somewhat  more  expert 
builders,  Life  forms  having  opposite  sides  alike, 
or  even  four  different  sides,  may  be  constructed. 

The  other  various  forms  of  cooperative  work 
are  of  course  never  to  be  neglected,  that  a  social 
unity  may  be  produced,  in  which  "  the  might  of 
each  individual  may  be  reinforced  by  the  might 
of  the  whole." 

1  See  Kindergarten  Chimes  (Kate  D.  Wiggin),  Oliver  Ditson 
Publishing  Co. :  "Building  Song,"  pages  34,  35;  "Trade  Game," 
page  70  ;  "  The  Carpenter,"  page  92. 


FROEBEVS   TRIED  GIFT  71 

MATHEMATICAL   FORMS. 

A  better  idea  of  these  may  be  obtained  through 
a  manipulation  of  the  blocks  and  an  ar-  Mathemat- 
rangement  of  the  geometrical  forms  in  lcalForms' 
their  regular  order. 

The  child,  if  he  were  taught  as  Froebel  intended, 
would  make  his  first  acquaintance  with  numbers 
in  the  nursery,  beginning  in  a  very  small  way  and 
progressing  slowly.  The  pupils  of  the  kinder- 
garten are  a  little  older,  and  having  already  a 
slight  knowledge  of  numbers  (though  not  of 
course  in  their  abstract  relations)  are  able  to  ac- 
complish greater  things. 

The  child  can,  with  our  guidance,  make,  all 
possible  combinations  of  the  parts  of  the  num- 
ber Eight.  The  principles  of  Addition,  Subtrac- 
tion, even  Multiplication  and  Fractions,  can  also 
be  mastered  without  one  tear  of  misery  or  pang 
of  torture.  He  grasps  the  whole  first,  then  by 
simple  processes,  building  with  his  own  hands,  he 
finds  out  and  demonstrates  for  himself  halves, 
fourths,  and  eighths,  sometimes  in  different  po- 
sitions, but  always  having  the  same  contents. 

Even  yet  we  must  not   suffer  this  to  become 
work.     The  exercises  should  be   repeated  again 
and  again,  but  we  must  learn  to  break  Method  and 
off   when   the    play  is    still   delightful,  JJgJS? 
and  study  ways  to  endow  the  next  one   Gift> 
with  new  life  and  charm,  though  it  carry  with  it 


72  FROEBEUS   THIRD  GIFT 

the  same  old  facts.  What  we  want  to  secure  is, 
not  a  formidable  number  of  parrot-like  state- 
ments, but  a  firm  foundation  for  future  clearness 
of  understanding,  depth  of  feeling,  and  firmness 
of  purpose.  So,  at  the  beginning  of  the  exercise, 
we  should  not  ask  John  if  he  remembers  what 
we  talked  about  last  time,  and  expect  him  to  an- 
swer clearly  at  once.  Because  he  does  not  an- 
swer our  formal  questions  which  do  not  properly 
belong  to  babyhood,  we  need  not  conclude  he  has 
learned  nothing,  for  a  child  can  show  to  our  dull 
eyes  only  a  very  tiny  glimpse  of  his  wonderful 
inner  world. 

Let  our  aim  be,  that  the  child  shall  little  by 
little  receive  impressions  so  clearly  that  he  will 
recognize  them  when  they  appear  again,  and  that 
he  shall,  after  a  time,  know  these  impressions  by 
their  names.  It  is  nothing  but  play  after  all,  but 
it  is  in  this  childish  play  that  deep  meaning  lies. 

A  child  is  far  less  interested  in  that  which  is 
given  him  complete  than  in  that  which  needs 
something  from  him  to  make  it  perfect.  He 
loves  to  employ  all  his  energies  in  conceiving  and 
constructing  forms ;  the  less  you  do  for  him  the 
better  he  enjoys  it,  if  he  has  been  trained  to  in- 
dependence.1 

1  "  Probably  the  chief  wish  of  children  is  to  do  things  for 
themselves,  instead  of  to  have  things  done  for  them.  They 
would  gladly  live  in  a  Paradise  of  the  Home-made.  For  exam- 
ple, when  we  read  how  the  'prentices  of  London  used  to  skate 


FROEBEUS   THIRD   GIFT  73 

Pedantry  and  dogmatism  must  be  eliminated 
from  all  the  dictations ;  the  life  must  not  be  shut 
out  of  the  lessons  in  order  that  we  may  hear  a 
pin  drop,  nor  should  they  be  allowed  to  degener- 
ate into  a  tedious  formalism  and  mechanical  pup- 
pet-show, in  which  we  pull  the  strings  and  the 
poor  little  dummies  move  with  one  accord. 

Yet  most  emphatically  a  certain  order  and  har- 
mony must  prevail,  the  forms  must  follow  each 
other  in  natural  sequence,  the  blocks  must,  invari- 
ably, be  taken  carefully  from  the  box,  so  as  to  pre- 
sent a  whole  at  the  first  glance,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  lesson  should  always  be  neatly  put  together 
again  into  the  original  form  and  returned  to  the 
box  as  a  whole.1 


on  sharp  bones  of  animals,  which  they  bound  about  their  feet, 
we  also  wished,  at  least,  to  try  that  plan,  rather  than  to  wear 
skates  bought  in  shops."  (Andrew  Lang.) 

"  Complete  toys  hinder  the  activity  of  children,  encourage 
laziness  and  thoughtlessness,  and  do  them  more  harm  than  can 
be  told.  The  active  tendency  in  them  turns  to  the  distortion 
of  what  is  complete,  and  so  becomes  destructive." 

"  Any  fusing  together  of  lessons,  work,  and  play,  is  possible 
only  when  the  objects  with  which  the  child  plays  allow  room  for 
independent  mental  and  bodily  activity,  i.  e.,  when  they  are  not 
themselves  complete  in  the  child's  hand.  Had  man  found  every- 
thing in  the  world  fixed  and  prepared  for  use  ;  had  all  means  of 
culture,  of  satisfaction  for  the  spiritual  and  material  wants  of 
his  nature,  been  ready  to  his  hand,  there  would  have  been  no 
development,  no  civilization  of  the  human  race." 

1  "  In  order  to  furnish  to  the  child  at  once  clearly  and  defi- 
nitely the  impression  of  the  whole,  of  the  self-contained,  the  play- 
thing before  it  is  given  to  the  child  for  his  own  free  use  must 


74  FROEBEVS   THIRD   GIFT 

And  now  one  last  word  of  warning  about  doing 
too  much  for  the  children  in  these  exercises,  and 
even  guiding  too  much,  carrying  system  and 
method  too  far  in  dictation.  We  must  remember 
that  an  excess  of  systematizing  crushes  instead  of 
developing  originality,  and  that  it  is  all  too  easy 
even  in  the  kindergarten  to  turn  children  into 
machines  incapable  of  acting  when  the  guiding 
hand  is  removed. 

NOTE. 

In  opening  the  boxes,  it  is  well  to  observe  some 
simple  form.  It  is  not  irksome,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, rather  pleasing  to  the  children,  who  delight 
in  doing  things  in  concert. 

BOXES   IN   CENTRE   OF  TABLE. 

1.  Draw  the  cover  out  one  half  space. 

2.  Fingers  of  right  hand  placed  on  left-hand 
side  of  box. 

3.  Turn  entirely  over  from  left  to  right. 

4.  Withdraw  lid  and  place  on  right-hand  upper 
corner  of  table. 

5.  Lift  box  gently  and  place  on  top  of  cover 
mouth  upwards. 

be  opened  as  follows.  .  .  .  It  will  thus  appear  before  the  ob- 
serving child  as  a  cube  closely  united,  yet  easily  separated  and 
again  restored."  — Froebel's  Pedagogics,  pages  123,  124. 


FEOEBEVS   TRIED   GIFT  75 


READINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

Reminiscences  of  Froebel.    Von  Marenholtz-BUloiv.   Page  152. 

Child  and  Child  Nature.     Von  Marenholtz- Billow.     145,  146. 

Education.     E.  Seguin.     95,  96. 

Lessons  in  Form.      W.  W.  Speer.     23. 

Pedagogics  of  the  Kindergarten.     Fr.  Froebel-     108-44. 

Education  of  Man.  Fr.  Froebel.  Tr.  by  Josephine  Jarvis. 
40,  41. 

Kindergarten  at  Home.     E.  SMrreff.     12-14. 

Kindergarten  Culture.      W.  N.  Hailmann.     55-66. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     11-16. 

Law  of  Childhood.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     35-38. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     J.  and  B.  Eonge.     5-13. 

Kindergarten  Guide.      Kraus-Boelte.     27-47. 

Koehler's  Kindergarten  Practice.  Tr.  by  Mary  Gurney.  20- 
23. 

Froebel  and  Education  by  Self  -  Activity.  H.  Courtkope 
Bowen.  140-42. 

Kindergarten  Toys.     Heinrich  Hoffmann.     17-26. 

Conscious  Motherhood.     E.  Marwedel     165,  166. 

The  Kindergarten.     H.  Goldammer.    49-70. 


FROEBEL'S   FOURTH   GIFT 

"  A  new  gift  is  demanded  —  a  gift  wherein  the  length, 
breadth,  and  thickness  of  a  solid  body  shall  be  distinguished 
from  each  other  by  difference  of  size.  Such  a  gift  will  open  the 
child's  eyes  to  the  three  dimensions  of  space,  and  will  serve  also 
as  a  means  of  recognizing  and  interpreting  the  manifold  forms 
and  structures  with  which  he  is  constantly  brought  in  contact." 

"  The  inner  difference,  intimated  in  the  three  perpendicular 
axes  of  the  cube  (and  the  sphere),  now  becomes  externally  visi- 
ble and  abiding  in  each  of  its  building  blocks  as  a  difference  of 
size."  FB.  FROEBEL. 

"  The  fourth  gift  incites  the  child  to  consider  things  in  their 
relations  to  space,  and  to  the  forces  of  nature,  and  in  his  play 
with  the  bricks  he  is  constantly  engaged  in  efforts  to  adapt  him- 
self to  the  laws  of  their  nature,  while  rendering  them  subser- 
vient to  his  ends."  W.  N.  HAILMANN. 

1.  THE  fourth  gift  consists  of  a  cube  measur- 
ing two  inches  in  each  of  its  dimensions.     It  is 
divided  once  vertically   in    its  height,  and  three 
times  horizontally  in  its  thickness,  giving  eight 
parallelepipeds  or  bricks,  each  two  inches  long, 
one  inch  wide,  and  one  half  inch  thick. 

2.  Like  the  third  gift  in  form,  size,  material, 
and  use,  it  is  unlike  it  in  division.     In  the  third 
gift  the  parts  were  like  each  other,  and  like  the 
whole,  in  the  fourth  they  are  like  each  other,  but 
unlike  the  whole. 


FKOEBEVS  FOURTH  GIFT  11 

3.  The  most   important   characteristics  of  the 
gift  are :  — 

a.  Approximation  to  surface  in  the  symmetrical 
forms. 

b.  Greater  height  and  greater  extension,  result- 
ing in  a  greater  possible  inclosure  of  space. 

c.  The  illustration  of   two  philosophical  laws, 
viz.,  the  law  of  Equilibrium  or  Balance,  and  the 
law  of   Transmitted   Motion   or   Propagation  of 
Force. 

4.  Progress  is  shown  in  this  gift  as  follows :  — 

a.  In  the  difficulty  of  dictation  and  manipula- 
tion arising  from  the  different  character  of  the 
faces  of  the  bricks,  and  the  many  positions  which 
each  brick  can  assume. 

b.  In  the  necessity  of  perfect  balance. 

c.  In  a  clearer  illustration  of  dimension.     In 
the   third   gift    the   parts  were  equal  in  height, 
breadth,  and  thickness ;    in  the  fourth  they  are 
unequal,  and  therefore  each  dimension  is  empha- 
sized. 

As  to  progression,  the  increase  of  difficulty 
suits  the  increase  in  the  child's  power  of  com- 
prehension and  receptivity.  He  is  being  devel- 
oped thus  far,  not  by  rapid  changes  in  material 
or  greater  exercise  in  number,  but  by  practice 
with  differing  forms,  each  one  bringing  with  it 
new  knowledge  and  experience.  The  organs  of 
perception  are  being  constantly  made  to  grow  by 
exercise  with  intention.  We  are  forming  the 


78  FBOEBEVS  FOURTH  GIFT 

scientific  eye  which  can  detect  differences  ever 
after  at  a  glance. 

5.  The  geometrical  forms  illustrated  in  this  gift 
are:  — 

a  vi     j  Rectangular  Parallelepipeds. 
I  Square  Prisms. 

Planes.  }  °blonSs' 
(  Squares. 

6.  The  fourth   gift   presents  contrasts  of   di- 
mension and,  as  to  the  area  of  its  faces,  contrasts 
of  size  and  their  mediation. 


The  use  of  the  third  gift  opened  to  the  child 
what  the  quite  a  new  world  of  experiences,  each 
gainedhfrom  one  °^  which  was  pleasant  and  instruc- 
ThirdGift  tiye?  coining  all  the  delights  of  men- 
tal and  physical  activity,  imagination,  practical 
industry,  and  cooperation. 

He  has  gained  an  idea,  distinct  in  proportion 
to  the  skill  with  which  it  has  been  placed  before 
him,  of  the  cube  as  a  solid  body  having  surfaces, 
corners,  and  edges ;  of  a  whole  and  its  equal  frac- 
tional parts;  of  the  power  of  combining  those 
parts  into  new  wholes ;  and  of  the  fact  that  form 
and  size  are  two  separate  and  distinct  character- 
istics of  objects.  He  has  also  gained  new  dex- 
terity.1 His  ten  little  fingers  that  seemed  "all 

1  "  A  child  trained  for  one  year  in  a  kindergarten  would 
acquire  a  skillful  use  of  his  hands  and  a  habit  of  accurate  mea- 


FBOEBEVS  FOURTH  GIFT  79 

thumbs  "  as  they  arranged  so  carefully  the  clumsy 
little  cubes  of  the  Low  Wall  can  now  build  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument  with  unerring  skill,  and 
can  even,  with  the  grave  concentration  that  it 
demands,  drop  the  last  difficult  little  block  cor- 
iierwise  into  the  top  of  the  church  window. 

The  child  has  counted  his  cubes  from  one  to 
eight  until  he  knows  them  like  the  children  of  a 
family,  and  can  divide  them  into  sets  of  two  and 
four  with  equal  ease. 

These  are  the  deeds.  As  to  the  new  words 
the  little  box  of  blocks  has  brought  him,  their 
number  is  legion,  comprising  many  terms  of  di- 
rection and  position,  names  of  tools  and  imple- 
ments, buildings  and  places. 

Truly  if  the  kindergartner  has  been  wise  and 
faithful,  the  child  has  gained  wonders  from  this 
simple  unassuming  toy,  one  which  is  almost  too 
plain  and  rude  to  fix  the  momentary  attention  of 
a  modern  spoiled  child,  though  even  he  will  grow 
to  appreciate  its  treasures  if  rightly  guided. 

And  now  we  approach  another  cubical  box, 
containing  the  fourth  gift,  and,  on  open- 

.,  .-I      ,    .,  -.  ,  Differences 

ing  it,  see  that  it  presents  resemblances   between 


and  differences  when  compared  with  that 
just  left  behind. 

We  notice  at  once  the  new  method  of  division, 
and  in  separating  it  find  that  the  parts,  evidently 

surement  of  the   eye  which  would  be  his  possession  through 
life."     (W.  T.  Harris.) 


80  FROEBEVS  FOURTH  GIFT 

in  number  the  same  as  before,  are  entirely  novel 
in  form,  though  the  whole  was  familiar  in  its 
aspect.  If  the  child  is  old  enough  to  understand 
the  process  of  comparison,  he  will  see  that  the 
parts  of  the  two  gifts  have  each  six  surfaces, 
eight  corners,  and  twelve  edges  ;  but  that  while 
edges  and  corners  are  alike,  the  faces  differ 
greatly  on  the  new  block,  which  he  will  probably 
call  the  "brick,"  as  it  is  a  familiar  form  and 
name  to  him.  This  process  of  comparison  will 
be  greatly  facilitated  if  he  models  the  two  cubes 
in  clay,  and  divides  them  with  string  or  wire,  the 
one  into  inch  cubes,  the  other  into  bricks. 

Dr.  E.  Seguin,  in  his  celebrated  "  Report  on 
Education,"  says,  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  cube 
as  the  primary  block  or  figure  in  the  kinder- 
Dr.  seguin's  garten  i  "  Had  the  kindergartners  chosen 
to  thcfcube  it  with  their  senses,  as  it  must  speak  to 
the  senses  of  the  child,  instead  of  with 


dergarten.  their  mind,  they  would  certainly  never 
have  selected  the  cube,  a  form  in  which  similarity 
is  everywhere,  difference  nowhere,  a  barren  type 
incapable  by  itself  of  instigating  the  child  to 
active  comparison.  Had  they,  on  the  contrary, 
from  infantile  reminiscences,  or  from  more  philo- 
sophical indications,  selected  a  block  of  brick- 
form,  the  child  would  soon  have  discovered  and 
made  use  of  the  similarity  of  the  straight  lines, 
and  of  the  difference  of  the  three  dimensions. 
For  example  :  Put  a  cube  on  your  desk  and  let  a 


FEOEBEUS  FOURTH  GIFT  81 

pupil  put  one  on  his  ;  you  change  the  position  of 
yours,  he,  accordingly,  of  his.  If  you  renew  these 
moves  till  both  of  you  are  tired,  they  will  not 
make  any  perceptible  change  in  the  aspect  of  the 
object.  The  movement  has  been  barren  of  any 
modification  perceptible  to  the  senses  and  appre- 
ciable to  the  mind.  There  has  been  no  lesson 
unless  you  have,  by  words  speaking  to  the  mind, 
succeeded  in  making  the  child  comprehend  the 
idea  of  a  cube  derived  from  its  intrinsic  proper- 
ties ;  a  body  with  six  equal  sides  and  eight  equal 
angles." 

With    all    deference    to    Dr.    Seguin,    whose 
opinions   and  deductions   are  generally  Answers  to 

.     _.  .  .  these  Objec- 

indisputable,  we  cannot  regard  as   un- 


wise  the  choice  of  the  cube  as  the  primary  figure 
in  the  gifts. 

In  the  first  place,  Froebel,  having  a  sequence 
of  forms  in  his  mind,  undoubtedly  wished  to  in- 
troduce, early  in  that  sequence,  the  one  which 
would  best  serve  him  as  a  foundation  for  further 
division  and  subdivision.  This  need  is,  beyond 
question,  better  met  in  the  cube  than  in  the  brick, 
which  would  lend  itself  awkwardly  to  regular 
division. 

Secondly,  although  there  is  in  the  cube  "  simi- 
larity everywhere,  difference  nowhere,"  and  there- 
fore it  might  be  called  in  truth  a  "  barren  type, 
incapable  by  itself  of  instigating  the  child  to 
comparison  and  action,"  we  do  not  introduce  it, 


82  FROEBEUS  FOURTH  GIFT 

by  itself,  but  in  contrast  with  the  sphere  and 
cylinder. 

Then,  when  it  appears  again  in  the  building 
gifts,  "  as  the  simplest  and  most  easily  handled 
form  element,"  the  kindergartner  has  every  op- 
portunity to  use  it  so  that  it  may  lead  the  child 
to  comparison  and  action,  and  to  develop  the 
slowly  dawning  sense  of  difference  and  agreement 
without  which  she  well  knows  "knowledge  has 
not  yet  made  the  first  step."  But,  if  the  cube  is  a 
form  speaking  little  to  the  senses  of  a  child,  and 
requiring  description  by  words  spoken  to  the 
mind,  it  is  evident  that  we  should  use  great  care 
in  dealing  with  the  second  gift,  lest  we  run  need- 
lessly into  abstractions,  and  strive  to  give  the  child 
ideas  of  which  he  can  have  no  comprehension. 

The  "  brick  "  is  a  form  rich  in  impressions,  for 
Value  of  the  we  ^nc^  *hat  every  position  in  which  it 
Brick  Form.  jg  p]ace(j  gives  the  child  a  new  percep- 
tion, and  the  union  of  these  perceptions  furnishes 
him  with  a  complete  idea  of  the  object,  and  of  its 
possible  uses  in  relation  to  its  form. 

Dr.  Seguin  does  not  rate  it  too  highly  when  he 
says  :  "  What  a  spring  of  effective  movements,  of 
perceptions  and  of  ideas  in  the  exercises  with  this 
form,  where  analogy  and  difference,  incessantly 
noted  by  the  touch  and  the  view,  challenge  the 
mind  to  comparison  and  judgment !  " 

The  fourth  gift  contains  all  that  the  three  for- 
mer gifts  showed,  and  introduces  differences  of 


FROEBEVS  FOURTH  GIFT  83 

dimension  and  equilibrium  only  hinted  at  before. 
It  also,  as  Froebel  says,  "throws  into 
relief  the  perception  of  size  by  showing 
similarity  of  size  with  dissimilarity  of  dimension 
and  position." 

As  to  dimension,  the  child  built  the  Shot- 
tower  with  the  third  gift,  and  knew  that  it  was 
high,  the  Platform  and  that  it  was  broad,  the 
Well  and  that  it  was  deep,  the  Wall  and  saw 
that  it  was  thick,  etc.,  so  that  he  has  a  conception 
of  height,  length,  breadth  ;  but  in  the  fourth  gift 
he  is  shown  these  dimensions  in  a  single  block. 
He  is  thus  led  from  the  known  to  the  unknown.1 
They  are  united  and  contrasted  in  one  object, 
and  therefore  emphasized. 

As  to  the  law  of  equilibrium,  it  is  very  for- 
cibly brought   to   the  child's    attention 
every   time  his  forms  fall  to  the  table 
when  constructed  without  due  regard  to  its  prin- 
ciples. 

He  soon  sees  its  practical  significance,  takes 
care  to  follow  its  manifest  expression,  and  to  ob- 
serve with  more  care  the  centre  of  gravity. 
Great  liberties  could  be  taken  with  the  stolid  lit- 

"  The  three  principal  dimensions  of  space,  which  in  the 
cube  only  make  themselves  known  as  differences  of  position, 
in  the  fourth  gift  become  more  prominent  and  manifest  them- 
selves as  differences  of  size.  These  three  relations  of  size  are  in 
the  fourth  gift  as  abiding  and  changeless  as  the  position  of  the 
three  principal  directions  was  before  and  still  is."  —  Froebel's 
Pedagogics,  page  189. 


84  FROEBEUS  FOURTH  GIFT 

tie  cubes  and  they  seldom  showed  any  resentment ; 
they  quietly  settled  down  into  their  places  and 
resisted  sturdily  all  the  earthquake  shocks  which 
are  apt  to  visit  a  kindergarten  table  during  the 
building  hour.  The  bricks  on  the  other  hand 
have  to  be  humored  and  treated  with  deference. 
The  moment  one  is  placed  upon  another,  end  to 
end,  the  struggle  begins,  and  in  any  of  the  high 
Life  forms,  the  utmost  delicacy  of  touch  is  neces- 
sary as  well  as  sure  aim  and  steady  hand. 

Here  comes  in,  too,  a  necessity  of  calculation 
not  before  required.  The  cubes  could  be  placed 
on  any  side  and  always  occupy  the  same  space, 
but  the  building  with  the  bricks  will  vary  accord- 
ing as  they  are  placed  on  the  broad,  the  narrow, 
or  the  short  face.  They  must  also  fit  together 
and  bear  a  certain  relation  to  each  other. 

In  the  dictations  it  will  be  perceived  that  we 
now  have  to  specify  the  position  which  the  brick 
must  take  as  well  as  the  place  which  it  is  to  oc- 
cupy. We  designate  the  three  faces  of  the  brick 
as  the  broad  face,  the  narrow  face,  and  the  short 
face  or  end. 

The  symmetrical  forms  are  much  more  inter- 
esting than  before  and  decidedly  more  artistic 
when  viewed  in  comparison  with  the  somewhat 
thick  and  clumsy  designs  made  with  the  cubes. 
Fourth  Gift  ^e  f°urth  gift  forms  cover  more  space, 
Building.  approach  nearer  the  surface,  and  the 
bricks  slide  gracefully  from  one  position  to  another, 


FROEBEL'S  FOURTH  GIFT  85 

and  slip  in  and  out  of  the  different  figures  with 
a  movement  which  seems  like  a  swan's,  compared 
with  the  goose-step  of  the  stubby  little  cubes. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  "the  buds,"  as 
Froebel  calls  them,  of  all  the  fourth  gift  Beauty 
forms  were  contained  in  those  of  the  third  gift, 
and  have  here  opened  into  fuller  bloom. 

The  Life  forms  are  much  more  artistic  now, 
and  begin  to  imitate  a  little  more  nearly  the  ob- 
jects they  are  intended  to  represent.  We  can 
make  more  extensive  buildings  also  since  we  have 
an  additional  height  or  length  of  eight  inches  over 
that  of  the  third  gift,  and  thus  can  cover  double 
the  amount  of  surface  and  inclose  a  much  greater 
space.  In  the  first  play  with  the  gift,  the  chil- 
dren's eyes,  so  keen  in  seeing  play  possibilities, 
quickly  discover  the  value  of  the  bricks  in  furni- 
ture-making, and  set  to  work  at  once  on  tables  and 
chairs,  or  bureaus  and  sofas  and  bedsteads. 

They  engage  too  in  a  lively  contest  with  the  law 
of  equilibrium,  and  experiment  long  and  patiently 
until  they  comprehend  its  practical  workings. 

When  they  understand  the  fourth  gift  fairly 
well,  know  the  different  faces  and  can  handle  the 
bricks  with  some  dexterity,  the  third  gift  should 
be  added  and  the  two  used  together.  They  com- 
plement each  other  admirably,  and  give  variety 
and  strength  to  the  building,  whether  forms  of 
Life,  Beauty,  or  Knowledge  are  constructed. 

Froebel,  however,  is  most  emphatic  in  directing 


86  FROEBEUS  FOURTH  GIFT 

that  each  set  of  blocks  should  be  given  to  the 
child  in  its  own  box,  opened  so  as  to  present  a 
whole  at  the  first  glance,  and  carefully  rebuilt  and 
packed  away  when  the  play  is  over.  The  cubes 
and  bricks  should  never  be  left  jumbled  together 
at  the  close  of  the  exercise,  nor  should  they  be 
kept  in  and  returned  to  a  common  receptacle. 

"  Unimportant  as  these  little  rules  may  appear," 
he  says,  "  they  are  essential  to  the  clear  and  defi- 
nite development  of  the  child,  to  his  orderly  ap- 
prehension of  external  objects,  and  to  the  logical 
unfolding  of  his  own  concepts  and  judgments." 

"  The  box  of  building  blocks  should  be  regarded 
by  the  child,"  he  concludes,  "  as  a  worthy,  an  ap- 
preciated, and  a  loved  comrade." 

The  mathematical  forms  are  constructed  and 
applied  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  before. 
The  fourth  gift,  however,  offers  a  far  greater  num- 
ber of  these  than  its  predecessor,  while  it  is  par- 
ticularly adapted  to  show  that  objects  identical 
in  form  and  size  may  be  produced  in  quite  differ- 
ent ways. 

Throughout  all  these  guided  plays,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  time  is  always  to  be  allowed  the 
child  for  free  invention,  that  the  kindergartner 
should  talk  to  him  about  what  he  has  produced  so 
that  his  thought  may  be  discovered  to  himself,1 

1  "  The  child  is  allowed  the  greatest  possible  freedom  of  in- 
vention ;  the  experience  of  the  adult  only  accompanies  and  ex- 
plains."—  Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  130. 


FROEBEUS  FOURTH  GIFT  87 

and  that  in  all  possible  ways  Group  work  should 
be  encouraged  in  order  that  his  own  strength  and 
attainments  may  be  multiplied  by  that  of  his  play- 
fellows and  swell  the  common  stock  of  power. 
Froebel,  the  great  advocate  of  the  "Together" 
principle  says,  "  Isolation  and  exclusion  destroy 
life  ;  union  and  participation  create  life."  1 

It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  the  philosoph- 
ical laws  which  govern  the  outward  manifesta- 
tions of  a  moving  force,  as  equilibrium  or  self- 
propagating  activity,  are  for  personal  study,  and 
are  never  to  be  spoken  of  abstractly  to  the  child, 
but  merely  to  be  illustrated  with  simple  explana- 
tions. 

To  show  simply  the  law  of  transmitted  motion, 
for  instance,  let  the  child  place  his  eight  Transmitted 
bricks  on  end,  in  a  row,  one  half  inch  Motlon- 
apart,  with  their  broad  faces  toward  each  other. 
Then  ask  him  to  give  the  one  at  the  right  a  very 
gentle  push  towards  the  others  and  see  what  will 
happen ;  the  result  is  probably  as  great  a  delight 
as  you  could  reasonably  wish  to  put  within  his 
reach. 

When  he  asks,  "  What  makes  them  do  so  ?  " 
as  every  thoughtful  child  is  apt  to  do,  let  us  ask 
the  class  the  same  question  and  set  them  think-- 
ing  about  it.  "  Which  brick  did  it  ?  "  we  may 
say  familiarly,  and  they  will  see  it  all  in  a  mo- 
ment, —  where  the  force  originated,  how  it  gave 
1  Pedagogics,  page  180. 


88  FROEBEL'S  FOURTH  GIFT 

itself  to  the  next  brick  in  order,  that  one  in  turn 
doing  the  same,  and  so  on. 

This  law  of  transmitted  motion,  when  so  simply 
illustrated  in  the  fourth  gift,  easily  suggests  to 
the  children  the  force  of  example,  and  indeed 
every  physical  law  seems  to  have  its  correlate 
in  the  moral  world.  We  may  make  the  children 
see  it  very  clearly  through  the  seven  poor,  weak 
little  bricks  that  fell  down  because  they  were 
touched  by  the  first  one.  They  really  could  not 
help  it;  now,  how  about  seven  little  boys  or 
girls  ?  They  can  help  doing  things,  can  they 
not? 

By  such  simple  exercises  and  appropriate  com- 
ments the  children  may  be  made  to  realize  their 
moral  free  agency. 

READINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

Kindergarten  at  Home.     Emily  Shirreff.     Pages  58-61. 

Kindergarten  Culture.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     66. 

Koehler's  Kindergarten  Practice.  Tr.  by  Mary  Gurney.  23, 
24. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     J.  and  B.  Ronge.     13-24. 

Pedagogics  of  the  Kindergarten.     Fr.  Froebel.     166-95. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     17-19. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     47-81. 

Froebel  and  Education  by  Self -Activity.  H.  Courthope  Bowen. 
141,  142. 

Kindergarten  Toys.     H.  Hoffmann.     27-30. 


FROEBEL'S  FIFTH   GIFT 

"The  material  for  making1  forms  increases  by  degrees,  pro- 
gressing1 according1  to  law,  as  Nature  prescribes.  The  simple 
wild  rose  existed  before  the  double  one  was  formed  by  careful 
culture.  Children  are  too  often  overwhelmed  with  quantity  and 
variety  of  material  that  makes  formation  impossible  to  them." 

"  The  demand  of  the  new  gift,  therefore,  is  that  the  oblique 
line,  hitherto  only  transiently  indicated,  shall  become  an  abid- 
ing- feature  of  its  material." 

"  In  the  forms  made  with  the  fifth  gift  there  rules  a  living 
spirit  of  unity.  Even  members  and  directions  which  are  appar- 
ently isolated  are  discovered  to  be  related  by  significant  con- 
necting members  and  links,  and  the  whole  shows  itself  in  all  its 
parts  as  one  and  living,  —  therefore,  also,  as  a  life-rousing,  life- 
nurturing,  and  life-developing  totality."  FB.  FKOEBEL. 

1.  THE  fifth  gift  is  a  three-inch  cube,  which, 
being  divided  equally  twice  in  each  dimension, 
produces  twenty-seven  one-inch  cubes.     Three  of 
these  are  divided  into   halves   by  one   diagonal 
cut,  and  three  others  into  quarters  by  two  diag- 
onal  cuts   crossing   each    other,    making    in   all 
thirty-nine  pieces,  twenty-one  of  which  are  whole 
cubes,  the  same  size  as  those  of  the  third  gift. 

2.  The  fifth  gift  seems  to  be  an  extension  of 
the  third,  from  which  it  differs  in  the  following 
points :  — 

The  third  gift  is  a  two-inch  cube,  the  fifth  a 


90  FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT 

three-inch  cube;  the  third  is  divided  once  in 
each  dimension,  the  fifth  twice.  In  the  third 
all  the  parts  are  like  each  other  and  like  the 
whole  ;  in  the  fourth,  they  are  like  each  other  but 
unlike  the  whole ;  and  in  the  fifth  they  are  not 
only  for  the  most  part  unlike  each  other,  but 
eighteen  of  them  are  unlike  the  wrhole. 

The  third  gift  emphasized  vertical  and  hori- 
zontal divisions  producing  entirely  rectangular 
solids ;  the  fifth,  by  introduction  of  the  slanting 
line  and  triangular  prism,  extends  the  element  of 
form.  In  the  third  gift,  the  slanting  direction 
was  merely  implied  in  a  transitory  way  by  the 
position  of  the  blocks ;  in  the  .  fifth  it  is  defi- 
nitely realized  by  their  diagonal  division. 

In  number,  the  third  gift  emphasized  two  and 
multiples  of  two  ;  the  fifth  is  related  to  the  fourth 
in  its  advance  in  complexity  of  form  and  mathe- 
matical relations. 

3.  The  most  important  characteristics   of   the 
gift  are :    introduction  of  diagonal  line    and  tri- 
angular form ;  division  into   thirds,   ninths,  and 
twenty-sevenths  ;  illustration  of  the  inclined  plane 
and    cube-root.      As  a  result  of  these  combined 
characteristics,  it  is  specially  adapted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  symmetrical  forms. 

It  includes  not  only  multiplicity,  but,  for  the 
first  time,  diversity  of  material. 

4.  The  fifth  gift  realizes  a  higher  unity  through 
a  greater  variety  than  has  been  illustrated  previ- 


FEOEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT 


91 


Solid 


s. 


ously.  It  corresponds  with  the  child's  increasing 
power  of  analysis ;  it  offers  increased  complexity 
to  satisfy  his  growing  powers  of  creation,  and  less 
definitely  suggestive  material  in  order  to  keep 
pace  with  his  developing  individuality. 

5.  The    geometrical  forms    illustrated   in   this 
gift  are :  — 

'Cube. 

Rectangular  Parallelepiped. 

Square  Prism. 

Triangular  Prism. 

Rhomboidal  Prism. 

Trapezoidal  Prism. 

Pentagonal  Prism. 

Hexagonal  Prism. 

Heptagonal  Prism. 

Octagonal  Prism. 
'Square. 

Oblong. 

Right  Isosceles  Triangle. 

Rhomboid. 

Trapezium. 

Trapezoid. 

Pentagon. 

Hexagon. 

Heptagon. 
s  Octagon. 

6.  The  fifth  gift  shows  the  following  contrasts 
and  mediations :  — 

The   diagonal  line   a  connection  between  the 


Planes. 


92  FROEBEVS  FIFTH  GIFT 

horizontal  and  vertical ;  the  right  angle  as  a  con- 
nection between  the  obtuse  angle  (largest)  and 
the  acute  angle  (smallest)  ;  in  size  of  parts  the 
half  cube  standing  between  the  whole  and  quarter 
cubes. 

We  have  thus  far  been  proceeding  from  unity 
to  variety,  from  the  whole  to  its  parts,  from  the 
simple  to  the  complex,  from  easily  constructed 
forms  to  those  more  difficult  of  manipulation  and 
dictation,  until  we  have  arrived  at  the  fifth  gift. 

How  instructive  and  delightful  have  we  found 
Effect  of  the  this  orderly  procedure ;  this  develop- 
lroebe°if's  ment  of  great  froin  little  things;  this 
Khifcde°rgaS  thoughtful  association  of  new  and  prac- 
tical ideas  with  all  that  is  familiar  to  the 
child  mind  and  heart.  Every  year  the  training 
teacher  feels  it  anew  herself,  and  is  sure  of  the 
growing  interest  and  sympathy  of  her  pupils. 

Many  persons  who  fail  to  grasp  the  true  mean- 
ing of  the  kindergarten  seem  to  consider  the 
balls  and  blocks  and  sticks  with  which  we  work 
most  insignificant  little  objects ;  but  we  think,  on 
the  other  hand,  that  nothing  in  the  universe  is 
small  or  insignificant  if  viewed  in  its  right  con- 
nection and  undertaken  with  earnestness  and 
enthusiasm.  Nothing  in  childhood  is  too  slight 
for  the  notice,  too  trivial  for  the  sympathy  of 
those  on  whom  the  Father  of  all  has  bestowed  the 
holy  dignity  of  motherhood  or  teacherhood ;  and 


FEOEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT  93 

to  the  kindergartrier  belongs  the  added  dignity 
of  approaching  nearer  the  former  than  the  latter, 
for  hers  indeed  is  a  sort  of  vice-motherhood. 

We  must  always  be  impressed  with  the  know- 
ledge which  we  ourselves  gain  in  studying  these 
gifts  and  preparing  the  exercises  with  them.  In 
concentration  of  thought;  careful,  distinct,  pre- 
cise, and  expressive  language  ;  logical  arrange- 
ment of  ideas ;  new  love  of  order,  beauty,  sym- 
metry, fitness,  and  proportion ;  added  ingenuity 
in  adapting  material  to  various  uses,  aesthetic  and 
practical,  —  in  all  these  ways  every  practical  stu- 
dent of  Froebel  must  constantly  feel  a  decided 
advance  in  ability. 

Then,  too,  the  simple  rudiments  of  geometry 
have  been  reviewed  in  a  new  light ;  we  have  dealt 
with  solid  bodies  and  planes,  and  studied  them 
critically  so  that  we  might  draw  the  child's  atten- 
tion to  all  points  of  resemblance  or  difference  ; 
we  have  found  some  beautifully  simple  illustra- 
tions of  familiar  philosophical  truths,  and,  best  of 
all,  have  simplified  and  crystallized  our  knowledge 
of , the  relations  of  numbers  so  that  the  child's  im- 
pressions of  them  may  be  easily  and  clearly  gained. 

We  have  been  required  to  look  at  each  gift 
in  its  broadest  aspect,  and  to  observe  it  Why  we  are 
patiently  and  minutely  in  all  its  possi- 
bilities,  for  the  larger  the  amount  of 
knowledge  the  kindergartner  possesses, 
the  more  free  from  error  will  be  her  practice. 


94  FEOEBEVS  FIFTH  GIFT 

Unless  we  know  more  than  we  expect  to  teach, 
we  shall  find  that  our  lessons  will  be  stiff,  formal 
affairs,  lacking  variety,  elasticity,  and  freshness, 
and  marred  continually  by  lack  of  illustration 
and  spontaneity. 

Lack  of  interest  in  the  teacher  is  as  fatal  as 
lack  of  interest  in  the  child  ;  in  fact,  the  one  fol- 
lows directly  upon  the  heels  of  the  other.  For 
this  reason,  continued  study  is  vitally  necessary 
that  new  phases  of  truth  may  continually  be  seen. 

Above  all  other  people  the  teacher  should  go 
through  life  with  eyes  and  ears  open.  Unless  she 
is  constantly  accumulating  new  information  her 
mind  will  not  only  become  like  a  stagnant  pool, 
but  she  will  find  out  that  what  she  possesses  is 
gradually  evaporating.  There  is  no  state  of  equi- 
librium here;  she  who  does  not  progress  retro- 
gresses. 

It  should  be  a  comparatively  simple  matter  to 
gain  enough  knowledge  for  teaching,  —  the  diffi- 
cult thing  is  the  art  of  imparting  it.  Said  Lord 
Bacon,  "  The  art  of  well  delivering  the  know- 
ledge we  possess  to  others  is  among  the  secrets 
left  to  be  discovered  by  future  generations." 

These  are  a  few  of  the  technicalities  which 
Relation  be-  have  been  mastered  up  to  this  time  by 
andethe?rifts'  *  faithful  study  of  the  gifts  of  Froebel; 
SS  child's  and  yet  they  are  only  technicalities,  and 
MoSialand  do  not  include  the  half  of  what  has 
been  gained  in  ways  more  difficult  to 
describe. 


FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT  95 

"  To  clearly  comprehend  the  gifts  either  indi- 
vidually or  collectively  we  must  clearly  conceive 
their  relation  to  and  dependence  on  each  other, 
for  it  is  only  in  this  intimate  connection  that  they 
gain  importance  or  value." 

If  the  kindergartner  does  not  recognize  the 
relationship  which  exists  between  them  and  their 
relation  to  the  child's  mental  and  moral  growth, 
she  uses  them  with  no  power  or  intelligence.  We 
conceive  nothing  truly  so  long  as  we  conceive  it 
by  itself  ;  the  individual  example  must  be  referred 
to  the  universal  law  before  we  can  rightly  appre- 
hend its  significance,  and  for  a  clear  insight  into 
anything  whatsoever  we  must  view  it  in  relation 
to  the  class  to  which  it  belongs.  We  can  never 
really  know  the  part  unless  we  know  the  whole, 
neither  can  we  know  the  whole  unless  we  know 
the  part. 

In  the  fifth  gift,  which,  it  may  be  said,  can 
commonly  only  be  used  with  profit  after  Pleasure  of 

,,  i  MJ      i  i  ^    •         -i     i  •       Child  at 

the  child  has  neared  or  attained  his  New  Gift. 
fifth  year,  we  find  that  we  have  not  parted  from 
our  good  old  friend,  the  cube,  that  has  taught 
us  so  many  valuable  lessons.  We  always  find 
contained  in  each  gift  a  reminder  of  the  previ- 
ous one,  together  with  new  elements  which  may 
have  been  implied  before,  but  not  realized.  So, 
therefore,  we  have  again  the  cube,  but  greatly 
enlarged,  divided,  and  diversified.  When  the 
child  sees  for  the  first  time  even  the  larger  box 


96  FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT 

containing  his  new  plaything,  he  feels  joyful  an- 
ticipation, surmising  that  as  he  has  grown  more 
careful  and  capable,  he  has  been  entrusted  with 
something  of  considerable  importance.  If  he 
has  been  allowed  to  use  the  third  and  fourth 
gifts  together  frequently,  he  will  not  be  embar- 
rassed by  the  amount  of  material  in  the  new 
object. 

Lest  he  be  overwhelmed,  however,  by  its  vari- 
ety as  much  as  by  its  quantity,  it  might  be  well 
before  presenting  the  new  material  as  a  whole 
to  allow  the  child  to  play  with  a  third  gift  in 
which  one  cube  cut  in  halves  and  one  in  quarters 
have  been  substituted  for  two  whole  cubes.  He 
will  joyfully  discover  the  new  forms,  study  them 
carefully,  and  find  out  their  distinctive  peculiar- 
ities and  their  value  in  building.  When  he  has 
used  them  successfully  once  or  twice,  and  has 
learned  how  to  place  the  triangular  prisms  to 
form  the  cube,  then  the  mass  of  new  material  as 
a  whole  can  have  no  terrors  for  him. 

How  great  is  his  pleasure  when  he  withdraws 
the  cover  and  finds  indeed  something  full  of 
immense  possibilities;  he  feels,  too,  a  command 
of  his  faculties  which  leads  him  to  regard  the 
new  materials,  not  with  doubt  or  misgiving,  but 
with  a  conscious  power  of  comprehension. 

At  the  first  glance  the  most  striking  character- 
its  New  Fea-  istics  are  its  greater  size  and  greater 
tures.  number  of  divisions,  into  thirds,  ninths, 


FROEBEVS  FIFTH  GIFT  97 

and  twenty-sevenths,  instead  of  halves,  quarters, 
and  eighths. 

These  divisions  open  a  new  field  in  number 
lessons,  while  the  introduction  of  the  slanting  line 
and  triangular  prism  makes  a  decided  advance  in 
form  and  architectural  possibilities. 

The  triangle,  by  the  way,  is  a  valuable  addi- 
tion in  building  exercises,  for  as  a  fun-  importance 

.  .  .  of  Triangu- 

damental  form  in  architecture  it  occurs  iar  Form. 
very  frequently  in  the  formation  of  all  familiar 
objects.     Indeed,  the   new  form  and   its  various 
uses  in  building  constitute  the  most  striking  and 
valuable  feature  of  the  gift. 

We  find  it  an  interesting  fact  that  all  the  grand 
divisions  of  the  earth's  surface  have  a  triangular 
form,  and  that  the  larger  islands  assume  this 
shape  more  or  less. 

The  operation  of  dividing  the  earth's  surface 
into  greater  and  lesser  triangles  is  used  in  mak- 
ing a  trigonometrical  survey  and  in  ascertaining  the 
length  of  a  degree  of  latitude  or  longitude.  The 
triangle  is  also  of  great  use  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  mechanical  work,  as  will  be  noted  here- 
after in  connection  with  the  seventh  gift. 

The  difficulties  of  the  fifth  gift  are  only  appar- 
ent, for  the  well-trained  child  of  the  kin-  Difficulties 

,  .  ,11     of  the  Fifth 

dergarten  sees  more  than  any  other,  and  Gift. 
he  will  grasp  the  small  complexities  with  wonder- 
ful ease,  smoothing  out  a  path  for  himself  while  we 
are  wondering  how  we  shall  make  it  plain  to  him. 


98  FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT 

But  here  let  us  note  that  we  can  only  succeed 

Effect  of  in  attaining  satisfactory  results  in  kin- 
Good  Train-  _  _  J  . 
ing.  dergarten  work  by  beginning  intelli- 
gently and  never  discontinuing  our  patient  watch- 
fulness, self-command,  and  firmness  of  purpose,  — 
firmness,  remember,  not  stubbornness,  for  it  is  a 
rare  gift  to  be  able  to  yield  rightly  and  at  the 
proper  time. 

If  we  help  the  little  one  too  much  in  his  first 
simple  lessons  or  dictations ;  if  we  supply  the 
word  he  ought  to  give ;  if,  to  save  time  and  pro- 
duce a  symmetrical  effect,  we  move  a  block  here 
and  there  in  weariness  at  some  child's  apparent 
stupidity,  we  shall  never  fail  to  reap  the  natural 
results.  The  effect  of  a  rational  conscientious 
and  consistent  behavior  to  the  child  in  all  our 
dealings  with  him  is  very  great,  and  every  little 
slip  from  the  loving  yet  firm  and  straightforward 
course  brings  its  immediate  fruit. 

The  perfectly  developed  child  welcomes  each 
new  difficulty  and  invites  it ;  the  imperfectly 
trained  pupil  shrinks  in  half-terror  and  helpless- 
ness, feeling  no  hope  of  becoming  master  of  these 
strange  new  impressions. 

To  return  to  the  specific  consideration  of  the 
Arrange-  gift,  there  must  be  a  plan  of  arranging 

ment  of  ,  .  .  i  •    i  i 

Pieces.         the  various  pieces  which  go  to  make  up 
the  whole  cube. 

We  have  now  for  the  first  time  the  slanting 
line,  the  mediation  of  the  two  opposites,  vertical 


FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT  99 

and  horizontal,  and  by  this  three  of  the  small 
cubes  are  divided  into  halves  and  three  into  quar- 
ters. It  is  advisable,  when  building  the  cube,  to 
place  nine  whole  cubes  in  each  of  the  two  lower 
layers,  keeping  all  the  divided  cubes  in  the  upper 
or  third  layer,  halves  in  the  middle  row,  quarters 
at  the  back.  Then  we  may  slide  the  box  gently 
over  the  cube  as  in  the  third  and  fourth  gifts, 
which  enables  us  to  have  the  blocks  separated 
properly  when  taken  out  again,  and  forms  the 
only  expedient  way  of  handling  the  pieces.1 

The   exercises   with   this    gift   are   like   those 
which  have  preceded  it. 

1.  Informal    questions    by   the   kindergartner 
and  answers  by  the  children,  on  its  in-  ExerciSe8of 
troduction,  that  it  may  be  well  under-  the  Giftt 
stood.     This  should   be  made  entirely  conversa- 
tional, familiar,  and  playful,  but  a  logical  plan  of 

1  "  This  procedure  is  by  no  means  intended  merely  to  make 
the  withdrawal  of  the  box  easy  for  the  child,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
brings  to  him  much  inner  profit.  It  is  well  for  him  to  receive 
his  plaything's  in  an  orderly  manner  —  not  to  have  them  tossed 
to  him  as  fodder  is  tossed  to  animals.  It  is  good  for  the  child  to 
begin  his  play  with  the  perception  of  a  whole,  a  simple  self-con- 
tained unit,  and  from  this  unity  to  develop  his  representations. 
Finally,  it  is  essential  that  the  playing  child  should  receive  his 
material  so  arranged  that  its  various  elements  are  discernible, 
and  that  by  seeing  them  his  mind  may  unconsciously  form  plans 
for  using  them.  Receiving  his  material  thus  arranged,  the 
child  will  use  it  with  ever-recurrent  and  increasing  satisfaction, 
and  his  play  will  produce  far  more  abiding  results  than  the  play 
of  one  whose  material  lies  before  him  like  a  heap  of  cobble- 
stones." —  Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  205. 


100  FEOEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT 

development  should  be  kept  in  mind.  A  consid- 
eration of  the  various  pieces  of  the  gift  may 
occupy  a  part  of  each  building  or  number  lesson. 

2.  Dictation,  building  by  suggestion,  and  co- 
operative plays  in  the  various  forms.     With  all 
except  advanced  children  the  Life  forms  are  most 
useful  and  desirable.1 

3.  Free  invention  with  each  lesson. 

4.  Number  and  form  lessons.     In  number  there 
will  of  course  be  some  repetition  of  what  has 
been  done  before,  but  a  sufficient  amount  of  new 
presentation  to   awaken  interest.     It  is  only  by 
constant  review  and  repetition  that  we  can  assist 
children  to  remember  these  things  and  to  receive 
them  among  their  natural  experiences,  and  fortu- 
nately the  habit  of  repetition  in  childhood  is  a 
natural  one,  and  therefore  seldom  irksome. 

As  to  the  form   lessons,  we  must   remember 
Errors  in       that  our  method  has  nothing  to  do  with 

Form  Teach-        .  ,  . 

ing.  scientific   geometry,    but   is    based   en- 

tirely on  inspection  and  practice.  It  lays  the 
foundation  of  instruction  in  drawing,  and  forms 
an  admirable  preparation  for  different  trades,  as 
carpentry,  cabinet-making,  masonry,  lock-smith- 
ing, pattern-making,  etc.  Even  in  the  primary 
schools,  and  how  much  more  in  the  kindergarten, 
the  form  or  geometrical  work  should  be  essen- 

1  "  The  child,  in  a  word,  follows  the  same  path  as  the  man, 
and  advances  from  use  to  beauty  and  from  beauty  to  truth."  — 
Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  219. 


FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT  101 

tially  practical  and  given  by  inspection.  Even 
there  all  scientific  demonstration  should  be  pro- 
hibited, and  the  teacher  should  be  sparing  in 
definitions. 

It  is  enough  if  the  children  recognize  the  forms 
by  their  special  characteristics  and  by  perceiving 
their  relations,  and  can  reproduce  the  solids  in 
modeling,  and  the  planes  and  outlines  in  tablets, 
sticks,  rings,  slats,  drawing,  and  sewing.1 

LIFE   FORMS. 

We  can  now  be  quite  methodical  and  workman- 
like in  our  building,  and  can  learn  to  Forms  of 
use  all  the  parts  economically  and  ac-  Life< 
cording   to    principle.     We    can  discuss   ground 
plans,  cellars,  foundations,  basements,  roofs,  eaves, 
chimneys,  entrances,  and  windows,  and  thus  can 
make  almost  habitable  dwellings  and  miniature 
models  of  larger  objects.2 

1  "  The  Conference  recommends  that  the  child's  geometrical 
education  should  begin  as  early  as  possible  ;  in  the  kindergarten, 
if  he  attends  a  kindergarten,  or  if  not,  in  the  primary  school. 
He  should  at  first  gain  familiarity  through  the  senses  with  sim- 
ple geometrical  figures  and  forms,  plane  and  solid  ;  should  han- 
dle, draw,  measure,  and  model  them ;  and  should  gradually  learn 
some  of  their  simpler  properties  and  relations."  —  Report  of 
Committee  of  Ten,  page  110. 

2  "  The  child's  life  moves  from  the  house  and  its  living-rooms, 
through  kitchen  and  cellar,  through  yard  and  garden,  to  the 
wider  space  and  activity  of  street  and  market,  and  this  expan- 
sion of  life  is  clearly  reflected  in  the  order  and  development  of 
his  productions."  —  Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  221. 


102  FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT 

The  child  is  a  real  carpenter  now,  and  inno- 
cently happy  in  his  labor.  Who  can  doubt  that 
in  these  cheerful  daily  avocations  he  becomes  in 
love  with  industry  and  perseverance,  and  as  char- 
acter is  nothing  but  crystallized  habit,  he  gets  a 
decided  bias  in  these  directions  which  affects  him 
for  many  a  year  afterward.1 

Objects  which  he  meets  in  his  daily  walks  are 
to  be  constructed,  and  also  objects  with  which  he 
is  not  so  familiar,2  so  that  by  pleasant  conversa- 
tion the  realm  of  his  knowledge  may  be  extended, 
and  the  sphere  of  his  affections  and  fancies  en- 
larged; for  these  exercises  when  properly  con- 
ducted address  equally  head,  heart,  and  hand. 

Froebel  says  of  all  this  building,  "  It  is  essential 
to  proceed  from  the  cube  as  a  whole.  In  this 
way  the  conception  of  the  whole,  of  uniting, 

1  "In  some  German  kindergartens  large   building-logs  are 
supplied  in  one  corner  of  the  play  garden.     These  logs  are  a 
foot  or  more  in  length,  three  inches  wide,  and  one  inch  thick. 
Several  hundred  of  these  are  kept  neatly  piled  against  the  fence, 
and  the  children  are  expected  to  leave  them  in  good  order.    This 
bit  of  voluntary  discipline  has  its  good  uses  on  the  playground, 
and  the  free  building  allowed  with  this  larger  material  gives  rise 
to  individual  effort,  and  tests  the  power  of  the  children  in  a  way 
which  makes  the  later,  more  organized  work  at  the  tables  far 
more  full  of  meaning."  —  Kindergarten  Magazine,  November, 
1894. 

2  "  As  these  building  gifts  afford  a  means  of  clearing  the  per- 
ceptions of  the  child,  they  give  occasion  for  extending  these 
perceptions,  and  for  representing  in  their  essential  parts  objects 
of  which  the   child  has  only  heard." — Froebel's  Pedagogics, 
page  222. 


FROEBEVS  FIFTH  GIFT  103 

stamps  itself  upon  the  child's  mind,  and  the  evo- 
lution of  the  particular,  partial,  and  manifold 
from  unity  is  illustrated." 

Our  opportunities  for  group  work,  or  united 
building,  are  greatly  extended,  and  none  Group 
of  them  should  be  neglected,  as  it  is  Work- 
essential  to  inculcate  thus  early  the  value  of 
cooperation.  We  have  material  enough  to  call 
into  being  many  different  things  on  the  children's 
tables ;  the  house  where  they  live,  the  church  they 
see  on  Sunday,  the  factory  where  their  fathers  or 
brothers  work,  the  schoolhouse,  the  City  Hall, 
the  public  fountain,  the  stable,  and  the  shops. 
Thus  we  may  create  an  entire  village  with  united 
effort,  and  systematic,  harmonious  action.  Each 
object  may  be  brought  into  intimate  relation  with 
the  others  by  telling  a  story  in  which  every  form 
is  introduced.  This  always  increases  the  interest 
of  the  class,  and  the  story  itself  seems  to  be  more 
distinctly  remembered  by  the  child  when  brought 
into  connection  with  what  he  has  himself  con- 
structed. 

The  third  gift  may  be  used  with  the  fifth  if 
we  wish  to  increase  the  number  of  blocks  for 
cooperative  work,  and  is  particularly  adapted  to 
the  laying  of  foundations  for  large  buildings  in 
the  sand-table.  A  large  fifth  gift,  constructed 
on  the  scale  of  a  foot  instead  of  an  inch,  is  very 
useful  for  united  building.  One  child  or  the 
kindergartner  may  be  the  architect  of  the  monu- 


104  FBOEBEL'S  FIFTH  GIFT 

ment  or  other  large  form  which  is  to  be  erected 
in  the  centre  of  the  circle.  The  various  children 
then  bring  the  whole  cubes,  the  halves,  and  quar- 
ters, and  lay  them  in  their  appropriate  places,  and 
the  erection  when  complete  is  the  work  of  every 
member  of  the  community. 

SYMMETRICAL   FORMS. 

These  are  in  number  and  variety  almost  end- 
Forms  of  IGSS»  as  we  ^ave  thirty-nine  pieces  of 
symmetry.  di£perent  characters.  Edward  Wiebe 
says :  "  He  who  is  not  a  stranger  in  mathematics 
knows  that  the  number  of  combinations  and  per- 
mutations of  thirty-nine  different  bodies  cannot 
be  counted  by  hundreds  nor  expressed  by  thou- 
sands, but  that  millions  hardly  suffice  to  exhaust 
all  possible  combinations." 

These  forms  naturally  separate  themselves, 
Froebel  says,  into  two  distinct  series,  i.  e.,  the 
series  of  squares  and  the  series  of  triangles,  and 
move  from  these  to  the  circle  as  the  conclusion  of 
the  whole  series  of  representations.  "  From  these 
forms  approximating  to  the  circle  there  is  an  easy 
transition  to  the  representation  of  the  different 
kinds  of  cog-wheels,  and  hence  to  a  crude  prelim- 
inary idea  of  mechanics." 

If  the  movements  begin  with  the  exterior  part 
of  the  figure  instead  of  the  interior,  we  should 
make  all  the  changes  we  wish  in  that  direction 
before  touching  the  centre,  and  vice  versa. 


FROEBEL'S  FIFTH  GIFT  105 

Each  definite  beginning  conditions  a  certain 
process  of  its  own,  and  however  much  liberty  in 
regard  to  changes  may  be  allowed,  they  are 
always  to  be  introduced  within  certain  limits.1 

We  should  leave  ample  room  for  the  child's 
own  powers  of  creation,  but  never  disregard 
Froebel's  principle  of  connection  of  opposites ; 
this  alone  will  furnish  him  with  the  "  inward 
guide  "  which  he  needs.2  It  is  only  by  becoming 
accustomed  to  a  logical  mode  of  action  that  the 
child  can  use  this  amount  of  material  to  good 
advantage. 

The  dictations  should  be  made  with  great  care 
and  simplicity.  The  child's  mind  must  Dangers  of 

t         n  i     •  f     • ,       -i  •  Dictation. 

never  be  torced  it  it  shows  weariness, 
nor  the  more  difficult  lessons  given  in  too  noisy 
a  room,  as  the  nervous  strain  is  very  great  under 
such  circumstances.  We  should  remember  that 
great  concentration  is  needed  for  a  young  child 
to  follow  these  dictations,  and  we  must  be  exceed- 

1  "  With  these  forms  of  beauty  it  is  above  all  important  that 
they  be  developed  one  from  another.     Each  form  in  the  series 
should  be  a  modification  or  transformation  of  its  predecessor. 
No  form  should  be  entirely  destroyed.     It  is  also  essential  that 
the  series  should  be  developed  so  that  each  step  should  show 
either  an  evolution  into  greater  manifoldness  and  variety,  or  a 
return  to  greater  simplicity."  —  Froebel's  Pedagogics,  page  225. 

2  "  This  free  activity  ...  is  only  possible  when  the  law  of 
free  creativeness  is  known  and  applied  ;  for  that  a  free  creative- 
ness  only  can  be  a  lawful  one,  we  are  taught  by  the  smallest 
blade  of  grass,  whose  development  takes  place  only  according 
to  immutable  laws."  —  Reminiscences  of  Froebd,  page  133. 


106  FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT 

ingly  careful  in  enforcing  that  strict  attention  for 
too  long  a  time.  A  well-known  specialist  says 
that  such  exercises  should  not  be  allowed  at  first 
to  take  up  more  than  a  minute  or  two  at  a  time ; 
then,  that  their  duration  should  gradually  extend 
to  five  and  ten  minutes.  The  length  of  time 
which  children  closely  and  voluntarily  attend  to 
an  exercise  is  as  follows :  Children  from  five 
to  seven  years,  about  fifteen  minutes ;  from  seven 
to  ten  years,  twenty  minutes ;  from  twelve  to 
eighteen  years,  thirty  minutes.  A  magnetic 
teacher  can  obtain  attention  somewhat  longer, 
but  it  will  always  be  at  the  expense  of  the  suc- 
ceeding lesson.  "  By  teachers  of  high  preten- 
sions, lessons  are  often  carried  on  greatly  and 
grievously  in  excess  of  the  proper  limits  ;  but 
when  the  results  are  examined  they  show  that 
after  a  certain  time  has  been  exceeded,  everything 
forced  upon  the  brain  only  tends  to  drive  out  or 
to  confuse  what  has  been  previously  stored  in  it." 
We  find,  of  course,  that  the  mind  can  sustain 
more  labor  for  a  longer  time  when  all  the  facul- 
ties are  employed  than  when  a  single  faculty 
is  exerted,  but  the  ambitious  teacher  needs  to 
remind  herself  every  day  that  no  error  is  more 
fatal  than  to  overwork  the  brain  of  a  young  child. 
Other  errors  may  perhaps  be  corrected,  but  the 
effects  of  this  end  only  with  life.  To  force  upon 
him  knowledge  which  is  too  advanced  for  his 
present  comprehension,  or  to  demand  from  him 


FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT  107 

greater  concentration,  and  for  a  longer  period 
than  he  is  physically  fitted  to  give,  is  to  produce 
arrested  development.1 

MATHEMATICAL   FORMS. 

We  must  beware  of  abstractions  in  these  forms 
of  knowledge,  and  let  the  child  see  and  Forms  of 
build  for  himself,  then  lead  him  to  ex-  Knowled*e- 
press  in  numbers  what  he  has  seen  and  built. 
He  will  not  call  it  Arithmetic,  nor  be  troubled  with 
any  visions  of  mathematics  as  an  abstract  science.2 

The  cube  may  be  divided  into  thirds,  ninths, 
and  twenty-sevenths,  and  the  fact  thus  practically 
shown  that  whether  the  thirds  are  in  one  form 
or  another,  in  long  lines  or  squares,  upright  or 
flat,  the  contents  remain  the  same.  We  may  also 
illustrate  by  building,  that  like  forms  may  be 
produced  which  shall  have  different  contents,  or 
different  forms  having  the  same  contents. 

1  "  Whoever  sacrifices  health  to  wisdom  has  generally  sacri- 
ficed wisdom,  too."     (Jean  Paul.) 

2  "  Perceptions  and  recognitions  which  are  with  difficulty  gained 
from  words  are  easily  gained  from  facts  and  deeds.     Through 
actual  experience  the  child  gains  in  a  trice  a  total  concept, 
whereas  the  same  concept  expressed   in  words  would  be  only 
grasped  in  a  partial  manner.     The  rare  merit,  the  vivifying  in- 
fluence of  this  play-material  is  that,  through  the  representations 
it  makes  possible,  concepts  are  recognized  at  once  in  their  whole- 
ness and  unity,  whereas  such  an  idea  of  a  whole  can  only  very 
gradually  be  gained  from  its  verbal  expression.     It  must,  how- 
ever, be  added  that  later,  through  words,  the  concept  can  be 
brought  into  higher  and  clearer  consciousness."  — Froebel'sPecf- 
agogics,  page  206. 


108  FROEBEVS  FIFTH  GIFT 

Halves  and  quarters  may  be  discussed  and 
fully  illustrated,  and  addition,  subtraction,  mul- 
tiplication, and  division  may  be  continued  as 
fully  as  the  comprehension  of  the  child  will 
allow. 

During  the  practice  with  the  forms  of  know- 
ledge we  should  frequently  illustrate  the  lawful 
evolution  of  one  form  from  another,  as  in  the 
series  moving  from  the  parallelepiped  to  the  hex- 
agonal prism. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  whenever  the 
cube  is  separated  and  divided,  recombination 
should  follow,  and  that  the  gift  plays  should 
always  close  with  synthetic  processes. 

Some  of  the  mathematical  truths  shown  in  the 
fifth  gift  were  also  seen  in  the  third,  but  "re- 
peated experiences,"  as  Froebel  says,  "  are  of 
great  profit  to  the  child." l 

We  should  allow  no  memorizing  in  any  of  these 
exercises  or  meaningless  and  sing-song  repetitions 
of  words.  We  must  always  talk  enough  to  make 
the  lesson  a  living  one,  but  not  too  much,  lest  the 
child  be  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  own  thoughts 
and  abilities. 

1  "It  is  through  frequent  return  to  a  subject  and  intense 
activity  upon  it  for  short  periods,  that  it  '  soaks  in '  and  be- 
comes influential  in  the  building  of  character.  Especially  is  this 
true  if  the  principles  of  apperception  and  concentration  are  not 
forgotten  by  the  teacher  in  working  upon  the  disciplinary  sub- 
jects." (Geo.  P.  Brown.) 


FROEBEUS  FIFTH  GIFT  109 

THE   FIFTH   GIFT   B. 

There  is  a  supplemental  box  of  blocks  called 
in  Germany  the  fifth  gift  B,  which  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  combination  of  the  second  and  fifth 
gifts,  and  whose  place  in  the  regular  line  of  ma- 
terial is  between  the  fifth  and  sixth.  It  was 
brought  out  in  Berlin  more  than  thirteen  years 
ago,  but  has  not  so  far  been  used  to  any  extent 
in  this  country. 

It  is  a  three -inch  wooden  cube  divided  into 
twelve  one-inch  cubes,  eight  additional  cubes  from 
each  of  which  one  corner  is  removed  and  which 
correspond  in  size  to  a  quarter  of  a  cylinder,  six 
one-inch  cylinders,  divided  in  halves,  and  three 
one-inch  cubes  divided  diagonally  into  quarters 
like  those  of  the  fifth  gift. 

Hermann  Goldammer  argues  its  necessity  in 
his  book  "The  Gifts  of  the  Kindergarten  "  (Ber- 
lin, 1882),  when  he  says  that  the  curved  line  has 
been  kept  too  much  in  the  background  by  kinder- 
gartners,  and  that  the  new  blocks  will  enable 
children  to  construct  forms  derived  from  the 
sphere  and  cylinder,  as  well  as  from  the  cube. 

Goldammer's  remark  in  regard  to  the  curved 
line  is  undoubtedly  true,  but  it  would  seem  that  he 
himself  indicates  that  the  place  of  the  new  blocks 
(or  of  some  gift  containing  curved  lines)  should 
be  supplemental  to  the  third,  rather  than  the 
fifth,  as  they  would  there  carry  out  more  strictly 


110  FEOEBEVS  FIFTH  GIFT 

the  logical  order  of  development  and  amplify  the 
suggestions  of  the  sphere,  cube,  and  cylinder. 

It  is  possible  that  we  need  a  third  gift  B  and 
a  fourth  gift  B,  as  well  as  some  modifications 
of  the  one  already  existing,  all  of  which  should 
include  forms  dealing  with  the  curve. 

Goldammer  says  further :  "  In  Froebel's  build- 
ing boxes  there  are  two  series  of  development 
intended  to  render  a  child  by  his  own  researches 
and  personal  activity  familiar  with  the  general 
properties  of  solid  bodies  and  the  special  proper- 
ties of  the  cube  and  forms  derived  from  it.  These 
two  series  hitherto  had  the  sixth  gift  as  their 
last  stage,  although  Froebel  himself  wished  to 
see  them  continued  by  two  new  boxes.  He  never 
constructed  them,  however,  nor  are  the  indica- 
tions which  he  has  left  us  with  regard  to  those  in- 
tended additions  sufficiently  clear  to  be  followed 
by  others." 

The  curved  forms  of  the  fifth  gift  B  are,  of 
course,  of  marked  advantage  in  building,  espe- 
cially in  constructing  entrances,  wells,  vestibules, 
rose-windows,  covered  bridges,  railroad  stations, 
viaducts,  steam  and  horse  cars,  house-boats,  foun- 
tains, lighthouses,  as  well  as  familiar  household 
furniture,  such  as  pianos,  tall  clocks,  bookshelves, 
cradles,  etc. 

Though  one  may  perhaps  consider  the  fifth 
gift  B  as  not  entirely  well  placed  in  point  of 
sequence,  and  needing  some  modification  of  its 


FBOEBEL'S  FIFTH  GIFT  111 

present  form,  yet  no  one  can  fail  to  enjoy  its 
practical  use,  or  to  recognize  the  validity  of  the 
arguments  for  its  introduction. 

HEADINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     Pages  21-27. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     J.  and  B.  Honge.     24-29. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     81-113. 

Koehler's  Kindergarten  Practice.  Tr.  by  Mary  Gurney.  25— 
81. 

Froebel  and  Education  by  Self  -  Activity.  H.  Courthope 
Bowen.  142,  143. 

Pedagogics  of  the  Kindergarten.     Fr.  Froebel.     201-236. 

Art  and  the  Formation  of  Taste.  Walter  Crane.  152,  197- 
242. 

Seven  Lamps  of  Architecture.     John  Ruskin. 

The  Kindergarten.     H.  Goldammer.     85-104,  111-116. 

Kindergarten  Toys.    H.  Hoffmann.    31-36. 


FROEBEL'S   SIXTH   GIFT 

"  The  artistically  cultivated  senses  of  the  new  generation  will 
again  restore  pure,  holy  art."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  Life  brings  to  each  his  task,  and  whatever  art  you  select, 
algebra,  planting,  architecture,  poems,  commerce,  politics, — 
all  are  attainable,  even  to  the  miraculous  triumphs,  on  the  same 
terms,  of  selecting  that  for  which  you  are  apt ;  begin  at  the 
beginning,  proceed  in  order,  step  by  step."  R.  W.  EMERSON. 

"  The  sixth  gift  reveals  the  value  of  axial  contrasts." 

W.  N.  HAILMANN. 

1.  THE  sixth  gift  is  a  three-inch  cube  divided 
by  various  cuts  into  thirty-six  pieces,  eighteen  of 
which  are  rectangular  parallelepipeds,  or  bricks, 
the  same  size  as  those  of   the  fourth   gift,  two 
inches  long,  one  inch  wide,  and  one  half  inch 
thick.     Twelve  additional  pieces  are  formed  by 
cutting  six  of   these  parallelopipeds  or  units  of 
measure  in  halves  breadthwise,  giving  blocks  with 
two  square  and  four  oblong  faces.     The  remain- 
ing six  pieces  are  formed  by  cutting  three  paral- 
lelopipeds or  units  of  measure  in  halves,  length- 
wise, giving  square  prisms,  columns,  or  pillars. 

2.  The  sixth  is  the  last  of  the  solid  gifts,  and 
is  an  extension  of  the  fourth,  from  which  it  differs 
in  size  and  number  of  parts.     It  deals  with  mul- 
tiples of   the  number  two  and   three  also;  with 


FKOEBEUS  SIXTH  GIFT  113 

halves  rather  than  with  quarters  or  thirds,  the 
"  half  "  being  treated  in  a  new  manner,  i.  e.,  by 
dividing  the  unit  of  measure  both  in  its  length 
and  breadth,  giving  two  solids,  different  in  form 
but  alike  in  cubical  contents. 

3.  The  most  important  characteristics  of  the 
gift  are  :  — 

a.  Irregularity  of  division. 

b.  Introduction  of  column. 

c.  Extent  of  surface  covered  by  symmetrical 
forms. 

d.  Greater  inclosure  of  space  in  symmetrical 
forms. 

e.  Introduction    of   distinct   style  of  architec- 
ture. 

/.  Greater  height  of  Life  forms. 
g.  Severe  simplicity  of  Life  forms  produced  by 
the  rectangular  solids. 

4.  The  sixth  gift  has  no  great  increase  of  diffi- 
culty, and  though  new  forms  are  presented  there 
is  little  complexity  in  dictation.     The  building 
needs  a  somewhat  more  careful  handling,  inasmuch 
as  the  Life  forms  rise  to  considerable  height  and 
need  the  most  exact  balance. 

The  child  sees  solids  whose  faces  are  all  either 
squares  or  oblongs,  but  of  different  sizes,  viz., 
oblongs  of  three  sizes,  squares  of  two  sizes. 

This  is  the  last  of  the  Building  Gifts ;  the  child 
having  received  sufficient  knowledge  to  be  in- 
troduced step  by  step  into  the  domain  of  the 


114  FROEBEUS  SIXTH  GIFT 

abstract,  the  first   step  being  the  planes  of  the 
seventh  gift. 

5.  The  geometrical   forms   illustrated   in  this 
gift  are :  — 

f  Rectangular  parallelepipeds. 
Solids.  <  Square  prisms. 
(  Cubes. 

(  Squares. 
Planes,  j  Qblongg 

6.  The  brick  of  the  sixth  gift  is  identical  with 
that  of  the  fourth,  therefore  it  presents  the  same 
contrasts  and  mediations. 

In  number  the  different  classes  of  blocks  stand 
to  each  other  as  6:12:18. 

We  may  add  that  the  brick  is  the  foundation 
form  of  the  gift,  and  that  we  gain  the  remaining 
two  forms,  the  square  block  and  pillar,  by  divid- 
ing it  in  exactly  opposite  directions. 


The  sixth  gift  is  so  evidently  an  enlarged  and 
introduction  diversified  fourth  gift,  that  it  is  well  to 
of  the  Gift.  compare  it  on  its  introduction  with  the 
fourth,  as  well  as  with  its  immediate  predeces- 
sor in  the  series.  When  the  fourth  is  placed 
beside  it,  and  the  contents  of  the  two  boxes 
brought  to  view,  it  is  evident  at  once  to  the  child 
that  a  higher  round  in  the  ladder  of  evolution  has 
been  reached,  and  a  new  and  highly  specialized 
form  developed.  He  is  fired  at  once  with  crea- 


FBOEBEL'S  SIXTH  GIFT  115 

tive  activity,  and  his  eager  hands  so  quiver  with 
impatience  to  investigate  the  possibilities  of  the 
new  blocks  that  the  wise  kindergartner  does  not 
detain  him  long  with  comparisons,  only  assuring 
herself  that  he  notes  the  relation  of  the  new  gift 
to  the  former  ones,  that  he  compares  the  two 
new  solids  to  the  brick,  or  unit  of  measure,  and 
to  each  other,  and  discovers  how  each  has  been 
produced. 

The  difficulties  of  the  new  gift  are  very  slight, 
as  has  been  said,  consisting  neither  in  Difficulties 

,.    ,     ,.  .  f  .    ,  .        of  the 

dictation,  in  mass  of  material,  nor  in  New  Gift. 
new  forms,  lines,  or  angles.  Equilibrium  alone 
presents  novel  problems,  but  this  law  the  child 
now  understands  fairly  well  in  its  practical  work- 
ings, while  he  has  gained  so  much  dexterity  in 
his  use  of  the  other  blocks  that  the  height  and 
delicate  poise  of  the  new  forms  are  added  attrac- 
tions rather  than  obstacles. 

The  sixth  gift  far  surpasses  all  the  other  build- 
ing blocks  in  its  decided  adaptation  to  Form80f 
the   purely   architectural   forms.      The  Life- 
bricks  of  the  fourth  gift  may  be  used  as  a  founda- 
tion for  the  construction  of  large  and  ambitious 
structures,  and  with  this  additional  material,  the 
sixth  gift  may  excel  in   producing  elegant  and 
graceful  forms. 

The  bricks  of  course  admit  of  a  much  greater 
superficial  extension  and  the  inclosure  of  a  more 
extensive  space  than  has  heretofore  been  possible. 


116  FROEBEVS  SIXTH  GIFT 

The  children  will  unaided  construct  familiar 
objects,  such  as  household  furniture  and  imple- 
ments, churches,  fences,  walled  inclosures,  and 
towers,  with  the  new  blocks,  and  seize  with  de- 
light upon  the  possibilities  of  the  column,  which 
is  really  the  distinctive  feature  of  the  gift. 

So  far,  the  building  of  object  forms  will  closely 
resemble  those  of  the  previous  gifts,  but  a  step 
in  advance  may  be  made  by  the  children  if  the 
kindergartner  is  complete  mistress  of  the  new 
forms  and  knows  their  capabilities.  The  gift 
may  serve  as  a  primer  of  architecture  if  its  mate- 
rials are  thoroughly  exploited,  and  may  lead 
later  on  to  a  healthy  discontent  with  incorrect 
outline,  with  vulgar  ornamentation,  and  with 
crudity  of  form.1 

Froebel  himself,  who  had  made  exhaustive 
studies  in  architecture,  and  obtained  the  training 
necessary  to  enable  him  to  take  it  up  as  a  profes- 
sion, has  left  us  many  examples  of  sixth  gift 
building,  which  are  to  be  found  in  all  the  German 
"Guides."  The  structures  are  no  longer  rude 
representations,  but  have  a  marked  grace  and 
symmetry,  and  in  their  simplicity,  clearness  of 
outline,  and  fine  proportion,  strongly  resemble 
early  Greek  architecture.  Colonnades,  commem- 
orative columns,  facades  of  palaces,  belvederes, 

1  "  The  sense  of  beauty  must  be  awakened  in  the  soul  in 
childhood  if  in  later  life  he  is  to  create  the  beautiful."  —  Rem- 
iniscences of  Froebel,  page  158. 


FROEBEVS  SIXTH  GIFT  117 

temples,  arches,  city  gates,  monuments,  fountains, 
portals,  fonts,  observatories,  —  all  can  be  con- 
structed in  miniature  with  due  regard  to  law, 
fitness,  and  proportion,  and  as  the  soft,  creamy- 
white  structures  rise  on  the  various  tables,  we  see 
borne  out  Froebel's  saying  that  the  order  of  his 
Building  Gifts  was  such  that  the  child  might  be 
led  in  their  use  through  the  world's  great  archi- 
tectural epochs  from  Egypt  to  Kome.1 

Although  with  this  gift  we  cannot  produce 
symmetrical  forms  in  as  great  diversity  Forms0f 
as  with  the  fifth,  yet  the  materials  are  symmetry- 
productive  to  the  inventive  mind,  and  when  the 
pieces  are  arranged  with  care  and  taste,  beautiful 
figures  may  always  be  developed,  those  having 
a  triangular  centre  being  novel  and  especially 
pleasing.  Although  not  as  diversified,  however, 
they  have  the  added  advantage  of  approaching 
nearer  the  plane ;  and  that  this  progression  may 
be  more  clearly  shown,  it  seems  evident  that  the 
symmetrical  forms  should  only  be  produced  by 
laying  the  columns,  "  square-faced  blocks "  and 
bricks,  flat  upon  the  table,  and  that  the  practice, 

1  "As  the  gifts  proceed  from  the  first  to  the  sixth,  observa- 
tion is  demanded  with  increasing-  strictness,  relativity  more  and 
more  appreciated,  and  the  opportunity  afforded  for  endless 
manifestations  of  the  constructive  faculty,  while  all  the  time 
impressions  are  forming-  in  the  mind  which  in  due  time  will  bear 
rich  fruits  of  mathematical  and  practical  knowledge  as  well  as 
aesthetic  culture,  for  the  dawning-  sense  of  the  beautiful  as  well 
as  of  the  true  is  gaining  consistency  and  power."  (Karl  Froe- 
bel.) 


118  FROEBEUS  SIXTH  GIFT 

advised  by  some  authorities,  of  changing  the 
figures  by  placing  the  blocks  erect,  or  half  erect, 
should  be  discouraged. 

In  the  forms  of  knowledge  we  find  again 
Forms  of  much  less  diversity  than  in  the  fifth 
Knowledge.  g-£^  —  ^e  rectilinear  solids  and  conse- 
quent absence  of  oblique  angles  limiting  us  in  the 
construction  of  geometrical  forms.  The  blocks, 
however,  offer  excellent  means  for  general  arith- 
metical instruction,  for  working  out  problems  as 
to  areas,  for  further  illustration  of  dimension,  and 
for  building  many  varieties  of  parallelepipeds, 
square  prisms,  and  cubes,  and  studying  the  par- 
allelograms which  bound  them.  The  elements  of 
this  knowledge,  it  is  true,  were  gained  with  the 
fourth  gift,  but  we  must  remember  that  interest 
in  any  subject  is  not  necessarily  decreased  by 
repetition,  and  that  the  value  of  review  depends 
upon  whether  or  not  it  is  mechanical.1 

The  group  work  at  the  square  tables  is  now 
cooperative  especially  beautiful,  both  when  forms 
of  symmetry  or  object  forms  are  con- 
structed. The  fourth  gift  may  be  used,  as  has 

1  "What  makes  Froebel's  gifts  particularly  instructive  is, 
indeed,  the  fact  that  the  most  varied  materials  constantly  lead 
to  the  same  observations,  but  always  under  different  conditions, 
so  that  we  obtain  the  necessary  repetitions  without  the  dryness, 
the  tiresomeness,  the  fatigue  inseparable  from  constant  unvaried 
iteration.  But  they  also  accustom  the  child  to  discover  simi- 
larity in  things  that  appear  to  differ,  to  find  resemblance  in 
contrasts,  unity  in  diversity,  connection  in  what  appears  uncon- 
nected."—  H.  Goldammer's  The  Kindergarten,  page  109. 


FROEBEL'S  SIXTH  GIFT  119 

been  said,  if  more  material  is  needed,  and  of 
course  combines  perfectly  with  the  sixth  gift 
blocks.  A  large  sixth  gift  made  as  was  sug- 
gested for  the  fifth,  on  the  scale  of  a  foot  in- 
stead of  an  inch,  is  most  useful  for  cooperative 
exercises  in  the  centre  of  the  ring,  and  the  slen- 
der, graceful  columns,  for  instance,  which  may 
thus  be  built  in  unison  to  commemorate  some 
historic  birthday,  are  so  many  concrete  evidences 
to  the  child's  eyes  of  the  value  of  united  effort. 

Every  gift  and  occupation  and  exercise  of  the 
kindergarten  has  been  developed  with  The  Gifts 

.     8  and  their 

infinite  love   and  forethought   to   meet  Treatment 

by  the  K.in- 

the  child's  wishes  and  capabilities ;  every  dergartner. 
one  of  them  has  been  so  delicately  adjusted  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  case,  and  so  gently 
drawn  into  the  natural  and  legitimate  channel 
of  childlike  play,  that  they  never  fail  to  meet 
with  an  enthusiastic  reception  from  the  child,  nor 
to  awaken  the  strongest  interest  in  him. 

The  kindergartner  should  be  careful  that  he 
never  builds  hastily  or  lawlessly,  and  above  all 
she  should  guide  him  to  those  forms  which  he 
will  be  able  to  construct  with  perfection  and 
accuracy.  She  should  always  follow  him  in  his 
work,  answering  his  questions  and  suggesting 
new  ideas,  letting  him  feel  in  every  way  that  she 
is  in  sympathy  with  him,  and  that  none  of  his 
plans  or  experiments,  however  small  they  may  be, 
are  indifferent  to  her.  It  is  always  a  delight  to 


120  FROEBEUS  SIXTH  GIFT 

the  child  if  his  productions  are  understood  by 
grown-up  people,  for  he  often  feels  somewhat 
doubtful  of  the  value  of  his  work  until  the  seal 
of  approval  has  been  set  upon  it  by  a  superior 
mind. 

If  we  have  grasped  the  underlying  idea  which 
underlying  welds  the  mass  of  material  which 
KoebeVs  forms  the  kindergarten  gifts  into  a  har- 
moniously connected  whole  ;  if  we  have 
developed  the  analytical  faculty  sufficiently  to 
perceive  their  relation  to  the  child,  the  child's 
relation  to  them,  and  the  reasons  for  their  selec- 
tion as  mediums  of  education;  if  we  see  clearly 
Why  each  object  is  given,  what  connection  it  has 
with  the  child's  development,  and  what  natural 
laws  should  govern  it  in  play,  then  we  compre- 
hend Froebel's  own  idea  of  their  use. 

Certainly  the  ignorant  and  unsympathetic  kin- 
Education  dergartner  may  err  in  dealing  with  them, 

vs'  -i*~ii  •  • 

Cramming,     and  introduce  the  cramming  process  into 

her  field  of  labor  as  easily  as  the  public  school 
teacher,  for  it  is  as  easy  to  cram  with  objects  as 
with  books,  and  should  this  occur  there  is  cause 
for  grave  uneasiness,  since  the  opportunity  for 
injuring  the  brain  of  the  child  is  greater  during 
these  first  years  than  at  any  other  time. 

If  we  force  the  child,  or  make  the  lesson  seem 
work  to  him,  his  faculties  will  rebel,  he  will  be 
dull,  inattentive,  or  restless,  according  to  his  tem- 
perament or  physical  state ;  he  will  not  be  inter- 


FROEBEL'S  SIXTH  GIFT  121 

ested  in  what  we  teach  him,  and  therefore  it  will 
make  no  impression  on  him. 

The  child  has  memory  enough ;  he  remembers 
the  picnic  in  the  woods,  the  glorious  sail  across 
the  bay,  the  white  foam  in  the  wake  of  the  boat, 
the  very  tint  of  the  flowers  that  he  gathered,  — 
in  fact,  he  remembers  everything  in  which  he  is 
interested.  If  we  would  have  him  remember  our 
teachings  forever,  we  must  make  them  worthy  of 
being  remembered  forever.  And  to  this  end  it  is 
essential  that  only  the  best  teachers  be  provided 
for  little  children.  The  ideal  teacher  should 
know  her  subject  thoroughly,  but  should  be  able 
to  boil  it  down,  to  condense  it,  so  that  the  con- 
centrated extract  alone  will  remain,  and  this  be 
presented  to  her  pupils.1 

In  leaving  these  first  six  gifts,  we  need  finally 
to  remember  these  things  :  — 

First,  that  we  must  not  be  too  anxious  to  resolve 
these  plays  into  the  routine  of  lessons ;  suggestions 
with  our  younger  pupils  especially  this  Method. 
is  not  admissible,  and  we  must  guard  against  it 
in  all  exercises  with  the  kindergarten  materials. 

Second,  we  may  assure  ourselves,  in  all  modesty, 
that  it  is  a  difficult  matter,  indeed,  to  direct  these 
plays  properly ;  that  is,  to  have  system  and  method 
enough  to  guard  the  children  from  all  lawlessness, 

1  "  If  you  would  be  pungent,  be  brief ;  for  it  is  with  words  as 
with  sunbeams,  —  the  more  they  are  condensed  the  deeper  they 
burn." 


122  FROEBEUS  SIXTH  GIFT 

idleness,  and  disorder,  and  yet  to  keep  from  fall- 
ing into  a  mechanical  drill  which  will  never  pro- 
duce the  wished-for  results.  Play  is  the  natural, 
the  appropriate  business  and  occupation  of  the 
child  left  to  his  own  resources,  and  we  must 
strive  to  turn  our  lessons  into  that  channel,  —  only 
thus  shall  we  reach  the  highest  measure  of  true 
success. 

Third,  we  must  strive  by  constant  study  and 
thought,  by  entering  into  the  innermost  chambers 
of  the  child-nature,  and  estimating  its  cravings 
and  necessities,  to  penetrate  the  secret,  the  soul 
of  the  Froebel  gifts,  then  we  shall  never  more 
be  satisfied  with  their  external  appearances  and 
superficial  uses. 

NOTE.  In  arranging  the  blocks  of  the  sixth  gift,  place  the 
eighteen  bricks  erect,  in  three  rows,  with  their  broad  faces 
together.  On  top  of  these  place  nine  of  the  square-faced  blocks, 
thus  forming  a  second  layer.  The  third  layer  is  formed  by 
placing  the  remaining  three  blocks  of  this  class  on  the  back  row, 
and  filling  in  the  space  in  front  with  the  six  pillars,  placed  side 
by  side. 

READINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     Pages  27-29. 
Kindergarten  Guide.     J.  and  B.  Eonge.     20-31. 
Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     113-145. 
Koehler's  Kindergarten  Practice.     Tr.  by  Mary  Gurney.    31, 
32. 

The  Kindergarten.     H.  Goldammer.     105-110. 

Stones  of  Venice.     John  Ruskin. 

Architecture,  Mysticism,  and  Myth.     W.  K.  Lethaby. 


FEOEBEUS  SIXTH  GIFT  123 

The  Sources  of  Architectural  Types.  Spencer's  Essays,  vol.  ii. 
page  375. 

The  Two  Paths.  John  Buskin.  (Chapter  on  Influence  of  Im- 
agination in  Architecture.) 

Discourses  on  Architecture.  E.  E.  Viollet-le-Duc.  Tr.  by 
Henry  Van  Brunt.  (First  and  Second  Discourses.) 


FROEBEL'S   SEVENTH  GIFT 

"  The  properties  of  number,  form,  and  size,  the  knowledge  of 
space,  the  nature  of  powers,  the  effects  of  material,  beg-in  to 
disclose  themselves  to  him.  Color,  rhythm,  tone,  and  figure 
come  forward  at  the  budding-point  and  in  their  individual  value. 
The  child  begins  already  to  distinguish  with  precision  nature 
and  the  world  of  art,  and  looks  with  certainty  upon  the  outer 
world  as  separate  from  himself."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  Froebel's  thin  colored  planes  correspond  with  the  mosaic 
wood  or  stone  work  of  early  man."  H.  POESCHB. 

"There  is  nothing  in  the  whole  present  system  of  education 
more  deserving  pf  serious  consideration  than  the  sudden  and 
violent  transition  from  the  material  to  the  abstract  which  our 
children  have  to  go  through  on  quitting  the  parental  house  to 
enter  a  school.  Froebel  therefore  made  it  a  point  to  bridge  over 
this  transition  by  a  whole  series  of  play-material,  and  in  this 
series  it  is  the  laying-tablets  which  occupy  the  first  place." 

H.  GOLDAMMER. 

1.  THE  seventh  gift  consists  of  variously  col- 
ored square  and  triangular  tablets  made  of  wood 
or  pasteboard,  the  sides  of  the  pieces  being  about 
one  inch  in  length.     Circular  and  oblong  paste- 
board tablets  have  lately  been  introduced,  as  well 
as  whole  and  half  circles  in  polished  woods. 

2.  The  first  six   gifts  illustrated  solids,  while 
the  seventh,  moving   from  the  concrete  towards 
the  abstract,  makes  the  transition  to  the  surface. 

The    Building   Gifts   presented    to    the    child 


FROEBEL'S  SEVENTH  GIFT  125 

divided  units,  from  which  he  constructed  new 
wholes.  Through  these  he  became  familiar  with 
the  idea  of  a  whole  and  parts,  and  was  prepared 
for  the  seventh  gift,  which  offers  him  not  an 
object  to  transform,  but  independent  elements 
to  be  combined  into  varied  forms.  These  divided 
solids  also  offered  the  child  a  certain  fixed  amount 
of  material  for  his  use ;  after  the  introduction  of 
the  seventh  gift,  the  amount  to  be  used  is  op- 
tional with  the  kindergartner. 

3.  The  child  up  to  this  time  has  seen  the  sur- 
face in  connection  with  solids.     He  now  receives 
the  embodied  surface  separated   from  the  solid, 
and  gradually  abstracts  the  general  idea  of  "  sur- 
face," learning  to  regard  it  not  only  as  a  part, 
but  as  an  individual  whole. 

This  gift  also  emphasizes  color  and  the  various 
triangular  forms,  besides  imparting  the  idea  of 
pictorial  representation,  or  the  representation  of 
objects  by  means  of  plane  surfaces. 

4.  The  gift   leads   the   child   from  the  object 
itself  towards  the  representation   of  the  object, 
thus  sharpening   the  observation  and   preparing 
the  way  for  drawing. 

It  is  also  less  definitely  suggestive  than  previ- 
ous gifts,  and  demands  more  creative  power  for 
its  proper  use.  It  appeals  to  the  sense  of  form, 
sense  of  place,  sense  of  color,  and  sense  of  number. 

5.  The  geometrical   forms  illustrated   in   this 
gift  are :  — 


126  FROEBEUS  SEVENTH  GIFT 

Squares. 

f  Right  isosceles. 

Triangles.  J  Obtuse  isosceles. 

Equilateral. 
^Right-angled  scalene. 
Oblong. 
Rhombus. 


In  combination.  < 


Rhomboid. 
Trapezoid. 
Trapezium. 


Pentagon. 

Hexagon. 

Heptagon. 

Octagon. 

6.  The  law  of  Mediation  of  Contrasts  is  shown 
in  the  forms  of  the  gift.  We  have  in  the  trian- 
gles, for  instance,  two  lines  running  in  opposite 
directions,  connected  by  a  third,  which  serves  as 
the  mediation.  Contrasts  and  their  mediations 
are  also  shown  in  the  squares  and  in  the  forms 
made  by  combination.  This  gift,  representing 
the  plane,  is  a  link  between  the  divided  solid  and 
the  line. 

We  have  now  left  the  solid  and  are  approach- 
loi&ftom  *n£  abstraction  when  we  begin  the  study 
Plane.  of  planes.  All  mental  development  has 
ever  begun  and  must  begin  with  the  concrete, 
and  progress  by  successive  stages  toward  the  ab- 
stract, and  it  was  Froebel's  idea  that  his  play- 


FROEBEUS  SEVENTH  GIFT  127 

material  might  be  used  to  form  a  series  of  steps 
up  which  the  child  might  climb  in  his  journey 
toward  the  abstract. 

Beginning  with  the  ball,  a  perfect  type  of 
wholeness  and  unity,  we  are  led  through  diver- 
sity, as  shown  in  the  three  solids  of  the  second 
gift,  toward  divisibility  in  the  Building  Gifts,  and 
approximation  to  surface  in  the  sixth  gift.  The 
next  move  in  advance  is  the  partial  abstraction  of 
surface,  shown  in  the  tablets  of  the  seventh  gift. 

The  tablets  show  two  dimensions,  length  and 
breadth,  the  thickness  being  so  trifling  relatively 
that  it  need  not  be  considered,  as  it  does  not  mar 
the  child's  perception  and  idea  of  the  plane. 
They  are  intended  to  represent  surfaces,  and 
should  be  made  as  thin  as  is  consistent  with  dura- 
bility. 

The  various  tablets  as  first  introduced  in  Ger- 
many and  in  this  country  were  com-  Systematic 
monly  quite  different  in  size  and  degrees  ^een°the e" 
of  angles  in  the  different  kindergartens,  Tablets- 
as  they  were  either  cut  out  hastily  by  the  teach- 
ers themselves,  or  made  by  manufacturers  who 
knew  very  little  of  the  subject.  The  former  prac- 
tice of  dividing  an  oblong  from  corner  to  corner 
to  produce  the  right-angled  scalene  triangle  was 
much  to  be  condemned,  as  it  entirely  set  aside  the 
law  of  systematic  relation  between  the  tablets  and 
rendered  it  impossible  to  produce  the  standard 
angles,  which  are  so  valuable  a  feature  of  the  gift. 


128  FBOEBEVS  SEVENTH  GIFT 

"  One  of  the  principal  advantages  of  the  kin- 
dergarten system  is  that  it  lays  the  foundation  for 
a  systematic,  scientific  education  which  will  help 
the  masses  to  become  expert  and  artistic  work- 
men in  whatever  occupation  they  may  be  en- 
gaged."1 

In  this  direction  the  seventh  gift  has  doubt- 
less immense  capabilities,  but  much  of  its  force 
and  value  has  been  lost,  much  of  the  work  thrown 
away  which  it  has  accomplished,  for  want  of  proper 
and  systematic  relation  between  the  tablets.  The 
order  in  which  these  are  now  derived  and  intro- 
duced is  as  follows  :  — 

The  square  tablet  is,  of  course,  the  type  of 
quadrilaterals,  and  when  it  is  divided  from  corner 
to  corner  a  three-sided  figure  is  seen,  —  the  half 
square  or  right  isosceles  triangle  ;  but  one  which 
is  not  the  type  of  three-sided  figures.  The  typi- 
cal and  simplest  triangle,  the  equilateral,  is  next 
presented,  and  if  this  be  divided  by  a  line  bisect- 
ing one  angle,  the  result  will  be  two  triangles  of 
still  different  shape,  the  right-angled  scalene.  If 
these  two  are  placed  with  shortest  sides  together, 
we  have  another  form,  the  obtuse-angled  triangle, 
and  this  gives  us  all  the  five  forms  of  the  sev- 
enth gift. 

The  square  educates  the  eye  to  judge  correctly 
of  a  right  angle,  and  the  division  of  the  square 
gives  the  angle  of  45°,  or  the  mitre.  The  equi- 
1  Pamphlet  on  the  Seventh  Gift.  (Milton  Bradley  Co.) 


FROEBEVS  SEVENTH  GIFT  129 

lateral  has  three  angles  of  60°  each  ;  the  divided 
equilateral  or  right-angled  scalene  has  one  an- 
gle of  90°,  one  of  60°,  and  one  of  30°,  while  the 
obtuse  isosceles  has  one  angle  of  120°,  and  the 
remaining  two  each  30°.  These  are  the  standard 
angles  (90°,  45°,  60°,  and  30°)  used  by  carpen- 
ter, joiner,  cabinet-maker,  blacksmith,  —  in  fact, 
in  all  the  trades  and  many  of  the  professions, 
and  the  child's  eye  should  become  as  familiar 
with  them  as  with  the  size  of  the  squares  on  his 
table. 

Edward  Wiebe  says  in  regard  to  the  relation 
of  the  seventh  gift  to  geometry  and  gen-  possibilities 
eral  mathematical  instruction  :  "  Who  in  Mathe- 
can  doubt  that  the  contemplation  of  instruction. 
these  figures  and  the  occupations  with  them  must 
tend  to  facilitate  the  understanding  of  geomet- 
rical axioms  in  the  future,  and  who  can  doubt 
that  all  mathematical  instruction  by  means  of 
Froebel's  system  must  needs  be  facilitated  and 
better  results  obtained?  That  such  instruction 
will  be  rendered  fruitful  in  practical  life  is  a  fact 
which  will  be  obvious  to  all  who  simply  glance  at 
the  sequence  of  figures  even  without  a  thorough 
explanation,  for  they  contain  demonstratively  the 
larger  number  of  those  axioms  in  elementary 
geometry  which  relate  to  the  conditions  of  the 
plane  in  regular  figures." 

As  the  tablets   are  used  in  the  kindergarten, 
they  are  intended  only  "  to  increase  the  sum  of 


130  FROEBEVS  SEVENTH  GIFT 

general  experience  in  regard  to  the  qualities  of 
things,"  but  they  may  be  made  the  medium  of 
really  advanced  instruction  in  mathematics,  such 
as  would  be  suitable  for  a  connecting-class  or  a 
primary  school.  All  this  training,  too,  may  be 
given  in  the  concrete,  and  so  lay  the  foundation 
for  future  mathematical  work  on  the  rock  of  prac- 
tical observation. 

The  kindergarten  child  is  expected  only  to 
know  the  different  kinds  of  triangles  from  each 
other,  and  to  be  familiar  with  their  simple  names, 
to  recognize  the  standard  angles,  and  to  know 
practically  that  all  right  angles  are  equally  large, 
obtuse  angles  greater,  and  acute  less  than  right 
angles.  All  this  he  will  learn  by  means  of  play 
with  the  tablets,  by  dictations  and  inventions, 
and  by  constant  comparison  and  use  of  the  vari- 
ous forms. 

As  to  the  introduction  of  the  tablets,  the  square 
HOW  and  is  first  of  all  of  course  given  to  the 
child.  A  small  cube  of  the  third  gift 


may  be  taken  and  surrounded  on  all  its 
faces  by  square  tablets,  and  then  each  one 
"  peeled  off,"  disclosing,  as  it  were,  the  hidden 
solid.  We  may  also  mould  cubes  of  clay  and 
have  the  children  slice  off  one  of  the  square  faces, 
as  both  processes  show  conclusively  the  relation 
the  square  plane  bears  to  the  cube  whose  faces 
are  squares.  If  the  first  tablets  introduced  are  of 
pasteboard,  as  probably  will  be  the  case,  the  new 


FROEBEUS  SEVENTH  GIFT  131 

material  should  be  noted  and  some  idea  given  of 
the  manufacture  of  paper. 

There  is  a  vast  difference  in  opinion  concerning 
the  introduction  of  this  seventh  gift,  and  it  is 
used  by  the  child  in  the  various  kindergartens  at 
all  times,  from  the  beginning  of  his  ball  plays  up 
to  his  laying  aside  of  the  fifth  gift.  It  seems 
very  clear,  however,  that  he  should  not  use  the 
square  plane  until  after  he  has  received  some 
impression  of  the  three  dimensions  as  they  are 
shown  in  solid  bodies,  and  this  Mr.  Hailmann  tells 
us  he  has  no  proper  means  of  gaining,  save  through 
the  fourth  gift.1 

As  to  the  triangular  tablets,  it  is  evident 
enough  they  should  not  be  dealt  with  until  after 
the  child  has  seen  the  triangular  plane  on  the 
solid  forms  of  the  fifth  gift.  Mr.  Hailmann 
says  that  a  clear  idea  of  the  extension  of  solids  in 
three  dimensions  can  only  come  from  a  familiarity 
with  the  bricks,  and  again  that  the  abstractions  of 
the  tablet  should  not  be  obtruded  on  the  child's 
notice  until  he  has  that  clear  idea. 

Though  the  six  tablets  which  surround  the  cube 
may  be  given  to  the  child  at  the  first  exercise,  it 
is  better  to  dictate  simple  positions  of  one  or  two 
squares  first,  and  let  him  use  the  six  in  dictation 
and  many  more  in  invention. 

1  "  The  perception  of  the  difference  between  a  surface-exten- 
sion and  an  extension  in  three  dimensions  begins  late  and  is  es- 
tablished slowly."  —  W.  Preyer,  The  Mind  of  the  Child,  page  180. 


132  FROEBEVS  SEVENTH  GIFT 

The  first  triangle  given  is  the  right  isosceles, 
Order  of  showing  the  angle  of  forty-five  degrees, 

introducing  „  i   -i        i  •  •  i  •   i 

Triangles.  and  tormed  by  bisecting  the  square  with 
a  diagonal  line.  The  child  should  be  given  a 
square  of  paper  and  scissors  and  allowed  to  dis- 
cover the  new  form  for  himself,  letting  him 
experiment  until  the  desired  triangle  is  obtained. 
He  should  then  study  the  new  form,  its  edges  and 
angles,  and  then  join  his  two  right-angled  trian- 
gles into  a  square,  a  larger  triangle,  etc.  Then 
let  him  observe  how  many  positions  these  trian- 
gles may  assume  by  moving  one  round  the  other. 
He  will  find  them  acting  according  to  the  law 
of  opposites  already  familiar  to  him,  and  if  not 
comprehended,1  yet  furnishing  him  with  an  infal- 
lible criterion  for  his  inventive  work. 

The  equilateral  is  then  taken  up,  is  compared 
with  the  half -square,  and  then  studied  by  itself,  its 
three  equal  sides  and  angles  (each  sixty  degrees) 
being  noted  as  well  as  the  obtuse  angles  made 
by  all  possible  combinations  of  the  equilateral. 

Next,  as  we  have  said,  comes  the  right-angled 
scalene  triangle,  with  its  inequality  of  sides  and 
angles,  which  must  be  studied  and  compared  with 
the  equilateral ;  and  last  of  all,  the  obtuse  isos- 
celes triangle,  which  is  dealt  with  in  the  same  way. 

1  "  With  this  law  I  give  children  a  guide  for  creating,  and  be- 
cause it  is  the  law  according  to  which  they,  as  creatures  of  God, 
have  themselves  been  created,  they  can  easily  apply  it.  It  is 
born  with  them."  —  Reminiscences  of  Froebel,  page  73. 


FROEBEUS  SEVENTH  GIFT  133 

Here,  again,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  two 
last  forms  should  always  be  discovered  by  the 
child  in  his  play  with  the  equilateral,  and  that  he 
should  cut  them  himself  from  paper  before  he  is 
given  the  regular  pasteboard  or  wooden  triangles 
for  study.  If  presented  for  the  first  time  in  this 
latter  form,  they  can  never  mean  as  much  to  him 
as  if  he  had  found  them  out  for  himself. 

The  dictations    should  invariably  be  given  so 
that   opposites  and  their  intermediates 
may  be  readily  seen.     The  different  tri- 
angles  may  be    studied  each   in  the  same  way, 
introducing  them  one  at  a  time  in  the  order  named, 
afterwards  allowing  as  free  a  combination  as  will 
produce  symmetrical  figures.     It  is   best  always 
to  study  one  of  a  new  kind,  then  two,  then  gradu- 
ally give  larger  numbers. 

Great  possibilities  undoubtedly  lie  in  this  gift, 
but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  with  young 
children  it  must  not  be  made  the  vehicle  of  too 
abstract  instruction.  In  order  to  make  the  dicta- 
tions simple,  the  child  must  be  perfectly  familiar 
with  the  terms  of  direction,  up,  down,  right,  left, 
centre ;  with  the  simple  names  of  the  planes 
(squares,  half-squares,  equal-sided,  blunt  and 
sharp-angled  triangles,  etc.)  ;  and  he  must  learn 
to  know  the  longest  edge  of  each  triangle,  that  he 
may  be  able  to  place  it  according  to  direction. 

The  children  should  be  encouraged  to  invent, 
to  give  the  dictation  exercises  to  one  another,  and 


134  FEOEBEVS  SEVENTH  GIFT 

to  copy  the  simpler  forms  of  the  lesson  on  black- 
board or  paper.  Some  duplicate  copies  in  colored 
papers  may  be  made  from  their  inventions,  and 
the  walls  of  the  schoolroom  ornamented  with 
them.  It  will  be  a  pleasure  to  the  little  ones 
themselves,  and  demonstrate  to  others  how  won- 
derful a  gift  this  is  and  how  charmingly  the  chil- 
dren use  it. 

No  exercise  should  be  given  without  previous 
study,  and  in  the  first  year's  teaching  it  is  wiser 
to  draw  or  make  the  figures  before  giving  the  dic- 
tations. The  materials,  too,  should  be  prepared 
beforehand,  in  such  a  form  that  they  can  be  given 
out  readily  and  quietly  by  the  children  at  the 
opening  of  the  exercise.  To  require  a  class  of  a 
dozen  or  more  pupils  to  wait  while  the  kinder- 
gartner  assorts  and  counts  the  various  colors  and 
shapes  of  tablets  to  be  used  is  positively  to  invite 
loss  of  interest  on  the  children's  part,  and  to  pro- 
duce in  the  teacher  a  hurry  and  worry  and  ner- 
vous tension  which  will  infallibly  ruin  the  play. 

The  Life  forms  are  no  longer  absolute  repre- 
sentations, but  only  more  or  less  sugges- 

Life  Forms.  J  . 

tive  images  of  certain  objects,  and  thus 
show  still  more  clearly  the  orderly  movement  from 
concrete  to  abstract. 

Hitherto  in  Life  forms  the  child  has  produced 
more  or  less  real  objects,  —  for  instance,  he  built 
a  miniature  house,  a  fountain,  a  chair,  or  a  sofa. 
They  were  not  absolutely  real,  and  therefore  in 


FROEBEVS  SEVENTH  GIFT  135 

one  way  merely  images ;  but  they  were  bodily 
images.  He  could  place  a  little  dish,  on  the  table, 
a  tiny  cup  on  the  edge  of  the  fountain,  a  doll  could 
sit  in  the  chair,  and  therefore  they  were  all  real 
for  purposes  of  play,  at  least. 

With  the  tablets,  however,  the  child  can  no 
longer  make  a  chair,  though  by  a  certain  arrange- 
ment of  them  he  can  make  an  image  of  it. 

The  child  will  notice  that  many  of  the  forms 
made  with  squares  are  flat  pictures  of  those  made 
with  the  third  gift,  and  with  the  addition  of  the 
right  isosceles  triangles  he  can  reproduce  the 
facades  of  many  of  the  elaborate  object  forms  of 
the  fifth.  The  various  triangles  differ  greatly  in 
their  capabilities  of  producing  Life  forms,  the 
equilateral  and  the  obtuse  isosceles  being  espe- 
cially deficient  in  this  regard  and  requiring  to  be 
combined  with  the  other  tablets.  The  fact  that 
both  the  right  isosceles  and  right  scalene  trian- 
gles produce  Life  forms  in  great  variety  seems  to 
prove  that,  as  Goldammer  says,  "  the  right  angle 
predominates  in  the  products  of  human  activity." 

The   symmetrical   forms  are  more  varied  and 
innumerable    than   those  of    any  other  gymmetri. 
gift,  and  with  the  addition  of  the  bril-  calForms- 
liant  colors  of  the  pasteboard,  or  the  s6ft  shades 
of  the  wooden  tablets,  make  figures  which  are  un- 
deniably beautiful,  and  which  are  mosaic-like  in 
their  effect. 

The  whirling  figures  are  interesting  and  new, 


136  FROEBEL'S  SEVENTH  GIFT 

and  the  child  with  developed  eye  and  growing  ar- 
tistic taste  will  delight  in  their  oddity,  and  yet  be 
able  to  find  opposites  and  their  intermediates  and 
make  them  as  correctly  as  in  the  more  methodical 
figures,  where  the  exact  right  and  left  balanced 
the  upper  and  lower  extremes.  Here  we  note 
that  the  equilateral  and  obtuse  isosceles  triangles, 
so  ill  fitted  to  produce  Life  forms,  lend  them- 
selves to  forms  of  symmetry  in  great  variety. 
The  various  sequences  of  the  latter  in  the  third 
and  fifth  gifts  may  of  course  be  faithfully  repro- 
duced in  surface-extension  with  the  tablets,  and 
thus  gain  an  added  charm. 

The  ambunt  of  material  given  to  the  child  is 
now  a  matter  for  the  decisiou  of  the  kindergart- 
ner,  and  is  dependent  only  on  the  ability  of  the 
child  to  use  it  to  advantage.  This  increase  of 
material  presents  a  further  difficulty,  and  it  is 
time  for  us  to  add  still  another,  that  is,  to  expect 
more  of  the  child,  and  to  require  that  he  produce 
not  only  something  original,  but  something  which 
shall,  though  simple,  be  really  beautiful. 

Inventions  in  borders  are  a  new  and  charming 
feature  of  this  gift,  and  the  circular  and  oblong 
tablets  as  well  as  the  squares  and  various  trian- 
gles are  well  adapted  to  produce  them.  The  vari- 
ous borders  laid  horizontally  across  the  tablets 
may  be  divided  by  lines  of  sticks,  and  thus  make 
an  effect  altogether  different  from  anything  we 
have  had  before. 


FROEBEUS  SEVENTH  GIFT  137 

The  work  with  forms  of  knowledge,  as  has 
been  fully  shown,  will  be  in  geometry  Mathemat- 
rather  than  in  arithmetic,  to  which  in-  icalForms- 
deed  the  gift  is  not  especially  well  adapted.  In 
addition  to  the  study  and  comparison  of  the  vari- 
ous forms,  their  lines  and  angles,  we  have  a  great 
variety  of  figures  to  be  produced  by  combination. 
We  can  make  the  nine  regular  forms  already 
mentioned  in  the  introduction  in  a  variety  of  ways, 
and  thus  give  new  charm  to  the  old  truths.  We 
must  allow  the  child  to  experiment  by  himself  very 
frequently,  and  interpret  to  him  his  discoveries 
when  he  makes  them. 

The  square  tablets  afford  a  valuable  aid  to  the 
occupation  of  weaving,  as  all  the  simple  The  seventh 
patterns  can  be  formed  with  them,  the  weaving. 
child  laying  them  upon  his  table  until  he  has  mas- 
tered the  numerical  principle  upon  which  they  are 
constructed.  We  can  easily  see  how  these  same 
patterns  may  be  further  utilized  as  designs  for 
inlaid  tiles,  or  parquetry  floors.  Thus  the  sev- 
enth gift  may  introduce  children  to  subsequent 
practical  life,  and  serve  as  a  useful  preparation 
for  various  branches  of  art-work. 

It  is  easy  to  see  when  we  begin  the  practical 
use  of  the  tablets  that  the  essential  char-  seventh 
acteristics  of  the  gifts  in  their  progress  Parquetry. 
from  solid  to  point  are  now  becoming  less  marked, 
and  that  they  begin  to  merge  into  the  occupa- 
tions, which  develop  from  point  to   solid.     The 


138  FROEBEVS  SEVENTH  GIFT 

meeting-place  of  the  two  series  is  close  at  hand, 
and,  like  drops  of  water  fallen  near  each  other, 
they  tremble  with  impatience  to  rush  into  one. 

The  inventions  which  the  child  makes  with 
tablets  he  now  very  commonly  expresses  a  desire 
to  give  away,  or  to  take  home  with  him,  —  a 
thought  which  he  seldom  had  with  the  gifts, 
wishing  rather  to  show  them  in  their  place  upon 
the  tables.  As  this  is  a  natural  and  legitimate 
desire,  a  supplement  to  the  seventh  gift  has  been 
devised,  consisting  of  paper  substitutes  for  the 
various  forms,  of  the  same  size  and  appropriate 
coloring,  and  to  be  had  either  plain  or  gummed  on 
the  back.  After  the  inventions  have  been  made, 
they  are  easily  transferred  to  paper  with  par- 
quetry, and  so  can  be  bestowed  according  to  the 
will  of  the  inventor. 

The  parquetry  of  the  seventh  gift  lends  an 
Group  added  grace  to  cooperative  work,  for 
Workt  the  children  can  now  combine  all  their 
material  in  one  form  to  decorate  the  room,  or 
perhaps  to  send  as  a  gift  to  an  absent  playmate. 
They  may  make  an  inlaid  floor  for  the  doll's 
house,  a  brightly  colored  windowpane  for  the  sun 
to  stream  through,  and  with  larger  forms  may 
even  design  an  effective  border  for  the  wains- 
coting of  the  schoolroom.1 

1  "  The  utility  of  this  united  action  is  not  to  be  overlooked. 
The  children  all  proceed  according  to  one  and  the  same  law, 
they  all  work  to  produce  one  and  the  same  result,  the  same  pur- 


FROEBEUS  SEVENTH  GIFT  139 

The  group  work  at  the  square  tables  is  also 
carried  on  very  fully  with  the  tablets,  the  sym- 
metrical figures  when  the  colors  are  well  com- 
bined being  quite  dazzling  in  beauty. 

In  this  connection,  a  danger  may  be  noted  in 
the  treatment  of  the  gifts,  both  by  coiorwith 

&  •'      Seventh 

kindergartner  and  children.  Color  ap-  Gift- 
pears  again  here  in  almost  bewildering  profusion 
after  its  long  absence  in  the  series,  and  is  an- 
other straw  to  prove  that  the  wind  is  blowing 
strongly  toward  the  occupations.  Many  of  the 
pasteboard  tablets  are  of  different  colors  on  the 
opposite  sides,  and  though  this  is  of  great  use 
in  Beauty  forms,  when  properly  treated,  it  is 
quite  often  unfortunate  in  forms  of  life,  unless 
careful  attention  is  given  to  arranging  the  mate- 
rial beforehand.  The  effect  of  a  barn,  for  in- 
stance, with  its  front  view  checkered  with  violet, 
red,  and  yellow  squares,  may  be  imagined,  or  of  a 
pigeon-house  with  a  parti-colored  green  and  blue 
roof,  an  orange  standard,  and  red  supports.  Yet 
these  are  no  fancy  pictures  I  have  painted,  and  if 

pose  unites  them  all ;  in  short,  we  see  here  in  the  children's  play 
all  that  forms  the  base  of  every  human  society,  all  that  renders 
it  possible  for  men  to  act  tog-ether  in  organized  communities, 
such  as  are  the  family,  the  state,  and  the  church.  And  to  pre- 
pare for  the  future,  to  be  mindful  even  amidst  play  of  that 
which  a  child  will  afterwards  require  in  order  worthily  to  fill 
his  place  in  the  world,  ought  surely  not  to  be  among  the  least 
important  ends  of  an  education  claiming-  to  be  in  conformity 
with  nature  and  reason."  —  H.  Goldammer,  The  Kindergarten, 
pag-e  135. 


140  FEOEBEL'S  SEVENTH  GIFT 

the  child  places  the  tablets  in  this  fashion,  they 
are  often  allowed  so  to  remain  without  criticism 
from  the  purblind  kindergartner.  She  even  some- 
times dictates,  herself,  extravagant  and  vulgar 
combinations  of  color,  such  as  a  violet  centre- 
piece with  green  corners  and  an  orange  border. 

There  needs  no  reasoning  to  prove  that  such  a 
person  is  radically  unfit  to  handle  the  subject  of 
color-teaching,  and  is  sure  to  corrupt  the  children 
under  her  charge ;  for  in  general,  if  ordinarily 
well  trained,  they  should  now  be  far  beyond  the 
stage  in  which  they  would  be  satisfied  with  such 
crudity  of  combination.  They  have  had  their 
season  of  "  playing  with  brightness,"  as  Mr.  Hail- 
mann  calls  it,  and  should  now  begin  to  have  really 
good  ideas  as  to  harmonious  arrangement  of  hues. 
If  they  have  not,  if  they  really  seem  to  prefer  the 
pigeon-house  or  barn  above  mentioned,  then  they 
are  viciously  ill-taught,  or  altogether  deficient  in 
color  sense. 

It  has  been  noted  that  the  older  children  often 
choose  the  light  and  dark  wooden  tablets,  for  in- 
vention, rather  than  the  gay  pasteboard  forms ; 
but  this  may  be  on  account  of  the  high  polish  of 
the  wood,  and  its  novelty  in  this  guise,  rather  than 
because,  as  has  been  suggested,  they  have  been 
surfeited  with  brightness. 


FBOEBEL'S  SEVENTH  GIFT  141 


READINGS  FOR  THE   STUDENT. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     Pages  30-38. 

Law  of  Childhood.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     38,  39. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     145-237. 

Koehler's  Kindergarten  Practice.    Tr.  by  Mary  Gurney.     6-9. 

The  Kindergarten.     H.  Goldammer.     116-54. 

Kindergarten  Culture.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     68-70. 

Kindergarten  and  Child-Culture.  Henry  Barnard.  210,  255, 
257. 

Prang  Primary  Course  in  Art  Education.  Part  I.  Mary  D. 
Hicks,  Josephine  C.  Locke. 

Color  in  the  School-Room.     Milton  Bradley. 

Elementary  Color.     Milton  Bradley. 

Color  Teaching  in  Public  Schools.  Louis  Prang,  J.  S.  Clark, 
Mary  D.  Hicks. 

Color,  an  Elementary  Manual  for  Students.     A.  H.  Church. 

The  Principles  of  Harmony  and  Contrasts  of  Colors.  M.  E. 
Chevreul. 

Students'  Text-Book  of  Color.     O.  N.  Rood. 

Suggestions  with  Regard  to  the  Use  of  Color.    Prang  Ed.  Co. 


FROEBEL'S  EIGHTH  GIFT 

THE   STRAIGHT   LINE. 

The  Single  and  Jointed  Slats  and  Staff  or  Stick. 

"  The  knowledge  of  the  linear  lies  at  the  foundation  of  the 
knowledge  of  each  form ;  the  forms  are  viewed  and  recognized 
by  the  intermediation  of  the  straight-lined." 

FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"  Froebel's  laths,  wherewith  the  child  can  form  letters,  corre- 
spond to  the  beech-staves  (buchenen  Stabchen,  now  contracted  to 
Buchstaben,  i.  e.,  letters  of  the  alphabet),  whereon  were  carved 
the  runes  and  magic  symbols  of  our  primitive  ancestors." 

HERMANN  POESCHE. 

"  It  will  be  readily  seen  how  useful  stick-laying  may  become 
in  perspective  drawing,  in  the  study  of  planes  and  solids,  in 
crystallography ;  how,  while  it  insures  an  enjoyable  familiarity 
with  geometrical  forms  and  secures  ever-increasing  manual  skill 
and  delicacy  of  touch,  it  develops  at  the  same  time  the  artistic 
sense  of  the  children  in  a  high  degree."  W.  N.  HAILMANN. 

1.  THE  wooden  staffs  of  the  eighth  gift  (some- 
times  called  the  tenth)  are   of  various  lengths, 
but  have  for  their  uniform  thickness  the  tenth  of 
an  inch. 

They  present,  as  now  made,  flat  sides  and 
square  ends,  are  sometimes  uncolored  and  some- 
times dyed  in  the  six  primary  colors. 

2.  The  previous  gifts   dealt   with   solids   and 


FROEBEUS  EIGHTH  GIFT  143 

plane  surfaces,  wholes  or  divided  wholes,  while 
this  one  illustrates  the  edge  or  line. 

The  previous  gifts  more  definitely  suggested 
their  uses  by  their  prominent  characteristics  ;  this 
depends  for  its  value  largely  upon  the  ingenuity 
of  the  teacher. 

We  have  contrasts  of  size  in  the  preceding 
gifts,  both  in  the  units  themselves  and  in  the 
component  parts  of  which  the  divided  units  are 
made ;  but  in  this  gift  the  dimension  length  is 
alone  emphasized. 

3.  The   most   important   characteristic   of  the 
gift  is  the  representation  of  the  line.      The  re- 
lations of  position  and  form  enter  as   essential 
elements  of  usefulness. 

4.  The  laying  of  sticks  may  be  used  as  an  oc- 
cupation very  early  in  the  kindergarten  course, 
and  thus  serve  as  a  preparation  for  the  first  draw- 
ing exercises,  but  there  should  be  no  attempt  at 
this  time  to  give  them  their  legitimate  connection 
with  the  cube  as  the  edge  of  the  solid  and  with 
the  tablet  as  a  portion  of  the  surface. 

Later  they  may  be  introduced  in  their  proper 
place  in  the  sequence  of  gifts,  and  thus  assume 
their  true  relation  in  the  child's  mind.  This  re- 
lation is  made  more  evident  as  we  can  and  should 
reproduce  the  lessons  with  the  solids  in  outline 
with  the  sticks.  When  the  child  is  more  ad- 
vanced, the  connection  of  the  sticks  with  the  pre- 
ceding objects  will  be  more  clearly  explained  and 


144  FROEBEUS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

intelligently  comprehended,  and  then  they  may 
be  used  in  connection  with  softened  peas  or  tiny 
corks,  which  serve  to  illustrate  the  points  of  con- 
tact of  the  sides  of  surfaces  and  edges  of  solids 
whose  skeletons  the  child  can  then  construct  with 
these  materials. 

5.  The  geometrical  forms  illustrated  in  this  gift 
are:  — 

Angles  of  every  degree. 

Triangles,  quadrilaterals,  and  additional  poly- 
gons. 

Skeletons  of  solids  by  means  of  corks  or  peas. 

6.  The   law  of  the  mediation  of   contrasts  is 
shown  in  the  fact  that  every  line  is  a  connection 
between  opposite  points.     As  in  the  other  gifts, 
the  law  governs  the  use  of  the  line  in  the  forma- 
tion of  all  outlines  of  objects  and  all  symmetrical 
designs. 

As  we  have  already  noted,  the  gifts  of  Froebel 
are  thus  far  solids,  divided  solids,  planes  and 
divided  planes. 

With  the  single  and  jointed  slats  we  shall  not 
Relation  of  deal  separately,  merely  stating  that  they 

the  Single          ,  *'  ,     *  ,      J 

and  Jointed    form  a  transition   between  the  suriace 

Slats  to  the  ,  _..  - 

other  Gifts,     and  the  line,  having  more  breadth  and 

How  both  i.  .        ,  „    , 

are  used.  relation  to  the  surface  itself  than  to  the 
edge,  but  manifestly  tending  towards  the  embodied 
line  of  which  the  little  stick  given  by  Froebel  is 
the  realization. 


FROEBEUS  EIGHTH  GIFT  145 

The  jointed  slats,  generally  ruled  in  half  and 
quarter  inches  for  measuring,  may  be  used  to 
show  how  one  form  is  developed  from  another,  — 
for  instance,  the  rhombus  from  the  square,  the 
rhomboid  from  the  oblong,  and  they  are  very 
useful  also  for  explaining  and  illustrating  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  angles,  as  the  opening  between  the 
joints  may  be  made  narrower  or  wider  at  pleasure. 

The  disconnected  slats  are  used  for  the  occa- 
sional play  or  exercise  of  interlacing,  forming  a 
variety  of  figures,  geometrical  and  artistic,  which 
hold  together  when  carefully  treated.1 

As  to  the  unpretentious  little  sticks  themselves, 
the  use  of  these  bits  of  waste  wood  is  Materials  of 

i  11  -XT       Froebel's 

entirely  unique  and  characteristic.  No  Gifts. 
one  else  would  have  deemed  them  worthy  of  a 
place  in  school  apparatus  or  among  educational 
appliances ;  but  Froebel  had  the  eye  and  mind 
of  a  true  philosopher,  ever  seeing  the  great  in 
the  small,  —  ever  bringing  out  of  the  common- 
place material,  which  lies  unused  on  every  hand, 
all  its  inherent  possibilities  and  capabilities  of 
usefulness.  Froebel  was  no  destructive  reformer, 
but  the  most  conservative  of  philosophers. 

1  "  The  slats  form,  in  some  sort,  the  transition  from  the  sur- 
face-pictures of  the  laying-tablets  to  the  lineal  representations 
of  the  laying-sticks,  but  have  this  advantage  over  both  tablets 
and  sticks,  that  the  forms  constructed  with  them  are  not  bound 
down  to  the  surface  of  the  table,  but  possess  sufficient  solidity 
to  bear  being  removed  from  it."  —  H.  Goldammer,  The  Kinder- 
garten, page  155. 


146  FEOEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

The  stick  of  course  is  to  be  regarded  in  its  re- 
How  the  lation  to  what  comes  before  and  after 

Stick  is  to.  IT-IT  ft  t 

be  regarded,  it,  — as  the  embodied  edge  01  the  cube, 
as  the  tablet  was  its  embodied  face.  The  child 
should  at  last  identify  his  stick,  the  embodiment 
of  the  straight  line,  with  the  axis  of  the  sphere, 
the  edge  of  the  cube,  and  the  side  of  the  square.1 
The  sticks  and  rings  are,  properly  speaking,  one 
gift,  contrasting  the  curved  and  straight  lines. 

Although  the  stick  exercises  should  make  their 
Method  and  appearance  at  least  once  every  week 

Manner  of  , 

Lessons.  after  their  introduction,  they  may  al- 
ways be  varied  by  stories,  and  when  occasion- 
ally connected  with  other  objects,  cut  from  paper 
to  illustrate  some  point,  are  among  the  pleasant- 
est  and  most  fruitful  exercises  of  the  kinder- 
garten. 

The  sticks  may  be  used  for  teaching  number 
and  elementary  geometry,  both  in  the  kindergar- 
ten and  school,  or  for  reviewing  and  fixing  know- 
ledge already  gained  in  these  directions,  for  prac- 
tice in  the  elements  of  designing,  for  giving  a 
correct  idea  of  outlines  of  familiar  objects,  and 

1  "  Just  as  we  obtained  the  tablets  from  the  cubes,  of  which 
they  are  the  embodied  faces,  so  now  we  obtain  also  the  laying- 
sticks  from  the  cube,  whose  edges  they  represent.  But  they 
are  contained  also  in  the  laying-tablets,  for  one  may  regard  the 
surface  as  produced  by  the  progressive  movement  of  a  line,  and 
this  may  be  made  clear  to  the  child  by  slicing  a  square  tablet 
into  a  number  of  sticks."  —  H.  Goldammer,  The  Kindergarten, 
page  161. 


FROEBEL'S  EIGHTH  GIFT  147 

should  constantly  serve  as  an  introduction  to 
drawing  and  sewing  lessons,  to  which  they  are 
the  natural  prelude. 

They  should  be  used  strictly  after  the  manner 
of  the  other  gifts,  beginning  with  careful  dic- 
tations, in  which  the  various  positions  of  one 
stick  should  be  exhausted  before  proceeding  to  a 
greater  number,  with  cooperative  work,  and  with 
free  invention.  These  exercises  and  original  de- 
signs may  be  put  into  permanent  form  in  par- 
quetry, which  is  furnished  for  this  gift  in  the 
various  colored  papers,  as  well  as  for  the  tablets. 
The  inventions  may  also  be  transferred  to  paper 
by  drawing,  and  to  card-board  by  sewing. 

The  exercises  may  continue  from  the  various 
simple  positions  which  one  stick  may  assume  to 
really  complex  dictations  requiring  from  fifteen 
to  twenty-five  sticks,  and  introducing  many  diffi- 
cult positions  and  outlines  of  new  geometrical 
figures. 

When  we  consider  that  the  length  of  the  sticks 
varies  from  one  to  six  inches,  and  that  Form8  of 
the  number  given  to  the  child  is  limited   S°Sumf 
only  by  his  capacity  for  using  them  sue-  ber  Work' 
cessfully,  we  can  see  that  the  outlines  of  all  the 
rectilinear  plane  figures  can  easily  be  made  by 
their  use.    Of  course  in  these  exercises  there  must 
be  a  great  deal  of   incidental  arithmetic,  but  the 
gift  may  also  be  used  for  definite  number  work, 
and  is  far  better  adapted  to  this  purpose  than  any 


148  FEOEBEUS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

other  in  the  series,  since  it  presents  a  number 
of  separate  units  which  may  be  grouped  or  com- 
bined to  suit  any  simple  arithmetical  process. 
Representing  the  line  as  it  does,  it  has  less  bod- 
ily substance  than  any  previous  gift,  and  hence 
comes  nearest  to  the  numerical  symbols,  as  the 
next  step  to  using  a  line  would  obviously  be 
making  one.  It  also  offers  very  much  the  same 
materials  for  calculation  as  were  used  by  the  race 
in  its  childhood,  and  hence  fits  in  with  the  inher- 
ited instincts  of  the  undeveloped  human  being.1 

Who  has  not  seen  him  arranging  twigs  and 
branches  in  his  play,  counting  them  over  and 
over  or  simulating  the  process,  and  delighting  to 
divide  them  into  groups  ?  So  the  cave-dweller 
used  them,  doubtless,  not  in  play,  but  in  serious 
earnest,  for  some  such  purpose  as  keeping  tally 
of  the  wild  beasts  he  had  killed,  or  the  number  of 
his  enemies  vanquished. 

"  With  a  few  packets  of  .Froebel's  sticks,"  as  has 
been  verv  well  said,  "  the  child  is  provided  with 
an  excellent  calculating  machine."  The  use  of 
this  machine  in  the  primary  school  in  word  mak- 
ing as  well  as  in  number  work  is  practically  un- 

1  "  Each  following1  generation  and  each  following-  individual 
man  is  to  pass  through  the  whole  earlier  development  and  culti- 
vation of  the  human  race,  —  and  he  does  pass  it ;  otherwise  he 
•would  not  understand  the  world  past  and  present,  —  but  not  by 
the  dead  way  of  imitation,  of  copying,  but  by  the  living-  way  of 
individual,  free,  active  development  and  cultivation."  —  Fried- 
rich  Froebel,  Education  of  Man,  page  11. 


FROEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT  149 

limited ;  but  in  the  kindergarten  it  may  very 
well  give  a  clear,  practical  understanding  of  the 
first  iour  rules  of  arithmetic, — an  understand- 
ing which  will  be  based  on  personal  activity  and 
experience.1 

It  is  well  by  way  of  prelude  to  the  first  few 
lessons  to  draw  from  the  children  the  Evolution  of 

.  -     the  Kinder- 

Origin   and   history   of    the    tiny  bit   of   garteu  stick. 

wood  given  them  for  their  play,  and  they  will 
henceforth  regard  it  in  a  new  light  and  treat  it 
with  greater  respect  and  care. 

Let  us  trace  it  carefully  from  its  baby  begin- 
nings in  the  seed,  its  germination  and  growth,  the 
influences  which  surround  and  foster  it  from  day 
to  day,  its  steady  increase  in  size  and  strength, 
its  downward  grasp  and  its  upward  reach,  the 
hardening  of  the  tender  stem  and  slender  cylin- 
drical trunk  into  the  massive  oak  or  pine,  the 
growth  of  its  tough,  strong  garment  of  bark,  its 
winter  times  of  rest  and  spring  times  of  renewal, 
until  from  the  tender  green  twig  so  frail  and  pli- 
ant it  has  become  too  large  to  clasp  with  the  arms, 
and  high  enough  to  swing  its  dry  leaves  into  the 
church  tower. 

1  "  Thus  the  child's  sphere  of  knowledge,  the  world  of  his  life, 
is  again  extended  by  the  observation  and  recognition,  by  the  de- 
velopment and  cultivation,  of  the  capacity  of  number ;  and  an 
essential  need  of  his  inner  nature,  a  certain  yearning  of  his 
spirit,  are  thereby  satisfied.  .  .  .  The  knowledge  of  the  rela- 
tions of  quantity  extraordinarily  heightens  the  life  of  the  child." 
—  Friedrich  Froebel,  Education  of  Man,  page  45. 


150  FROEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

Then  let  us  follow  out  its  usefulness  ;  for  in- 
stance, we  might  first  paint  a  glowing  word-pic- 
ture of  the  logging-camp,  the  chopping  and  hew- 
ing and  felling,  the  life  of  the  busy  woodcutter 
in  the  leafy  woods  in  autumn,  or  in  the  dense  for- 
ests in  winter  time,  when  the  snow,  cold  and 
white  and  dazzling,  covers  the  ground  with  its 
fleecy  carpet.  Again,  let  us  depict  the  road  and 
the  busy  teamsters  driving  their  yokes  of  strong 
oxen  with  their  heavy  loads  of  logs  to  the  towns 
and  cities  where  they  are  to  be  sold.  A  scene,  a 
perfect  word-picture,  should  be  painted  of  every- 
thing concerning  the  trip,  —  the  crunching  of  the 
oxen's  hoofs  on  the  pressed  snow,  the  creaking  of 
the  heavy  truck  as  its  runners  slip  along  the 
smooth  surface,  the  breath  of  the  men  and  ani- 
mals rising  like  steam  into  the  clear,  cold  air. 
All  these  things  rise  in  image  before  the  child's 
eye  and  are  not  soon  forgotten,  you  may  be  sure. 
The  work  and  life  of  the  river-drivers  might  also 
be  described,  and  their  manner  of  floating  the 
logs  down  river  in  springtime  when  the  water  is 
high  and  the  current  strong.  Then  perhaps  the 
children  will  help  to  tell  us  about  the  mill  of 
which  they  doubtless  know  something,  —  where 
the  sawmills  are  built,  how  the  water  helps  in 
turning  the  great  wheel,  the  buzzing  and  hissing 
of  the  big  saws,  and  the  way  in  which  they  quickly 
make  boards  of  the  long,  strong  logs.  This  and 
much  more  may  be  said,  and  if  it  is  well  said,  no 


FEOEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT  151 

child  can  ever  look  at  the  tiny  stick  afterwards 
and  entirely  forget  the  charm  which  once  sur- 
rounded it.1 

The  sticks  are  especially  serviceable  for  group 
work  of  various  kinds,  either  at  the  lonsr  Group 

'     Work  with 

or  square  tables.  As  the  children  have  sticks. 
now  an  abundance  of  material  they  can  make  all 
the  objects,  perhaps,  which  may  be  mentioned  in 
a  story  the  kindergartner  tells.  If  it  is  about 
the  origin  of  Thanksgiving  Day,  for  instance, 
Abby,  who  sits  at  one  end  of  the  line,  may  make 
a  picture  of  the  Mayflower,  and  John,  her  neigh- 
bor, make  the  Speedwell.  The  next  child  may 
construct  a  cradle  for  Oceanus,  the  little  Pilgrim 
baby  born  on  shipboard ;  the  next  use  his  mate- 
rial for  the  Indian  huts  the  settlers  saw  after 
landing ;  and  so  on,  each  child  making  a  different 
object,  which  remains  upon  his  table  until  the  close 
of  the  story.  When  this  is  completed,  it  will 
have  been  fully  illustrated  by  the  children  with 
their  sticks,  and  they  will  be  delighted  to  inspect 
the  different  pictures  which  they  will  plainly  see 
are  much  more  varied  and  beautiful  than  any  one 

1  "  These  terse  graphic  descriptions  of  objects  will  he  found 
very  serviceable  in  sharpening-  and  intensifying-  the  powers  of 
observation,  as  well  as  securing-  clearness,  distinctness,  accuracy, 
and  life  in  verbal  description.  Here  the  pupil  learns  practically 
to  give  due  prominence  to  essentials,  and  to  appreciate  the  full 
value  of  accessories  ;  to  look  for  and  discover  the  fundamental 
ideas  of  which  thing-s  are  the  modified,  adorned,  g-arbled,  or 
stunted  expression  ;  to  seek  and  find  the  very  soul  of  things."  — 
W.  N.  Hailmann,  Primary  Helps,  page  17. 


152  FEOEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

of  them  could  have  made  alone.  Thus  the  value 
of  cooperation  will  be  plainly  shown,  without  a 
word  from  the  kindergartner.1 

As  to  Life  forms  in  general,  their  number  is 
Forms  of  practically  unlimited,  though  as  they 
are  only  line-pictures,  and  heavy  lines 
at  that,  they  are  not  as  real  as  those  made  in 
the  Building  Gifts.  They  are  easily  made,  how- 
ever, and  the  veriest  baby  in  the  kindergarten 
who  handles  the  sticks  as  a  prelude  to  his  draw- 
ing exercises  invents  with  them  all  sorts  of  rude 
forms  which  he  calls  by  appropriate  names. 

The  question  of  color  as  it  enters  into  these 
forms  needs,  perhaps,  a  moment's  consideration 
here.  As  the  gift  includes  both  white  and  col- 
ored sticks,  would  it  not  be  well  to  use  the  former 
for  all  dictations  in  Life  forms,  reserving  the 
brilliant  hues  for  the  forms  of  symmetry  whose 
charms  they  would  greatly  enhance  ? 

We  may  sometimes  connect  simple,  inexpensive 
Connection  objects  with  stick  dictations,  with  a  view 

of  other  Ob-  .  .  .  . 

jects  with  to  making  them  more  realistic  and  de- 
tions.  lightful.  When  the  little  ones  are  just 

getting  the  various  positions  and  corresponding 

1  "  In  this  group  work  it  is  desirable  that  the  common  aims 
should  be  fully  within  the  comprehension  of  each  little  worker, 
yet  sufficiently  beyond  his  powers  of  execution  and  endurance 
to  make  him  sensible  of  the  need  of  assistance.  The  former 
secures  the  possibility  of  individual  enjoyment,  and  hence  the 
only  reliable  incentive  to  persistence ;  the  latter  insures  free 
subordination  to  the  will  of  the  whole,  the  essential  condition  of 
success."  —  W.  N.  Hailmann,  Primary  Helps,  page  18. 


FROEBEUS  EIGHTH  GIFT  153 

terms  into  their  minds,  and  when  therefore  it  is 
advisable  to  keep  them  amused  and  happy  with 
one  to  three  sticks  as  long  as  possible,  —  that  is, 
until  the  fundamental  principles  have  become  very 
familiar,  —  these  objects  are  most  invaluable. 

Innumerable  lessons  may  be  practiced  with  one 
stick  only,  calling  it  at  last  a  whipstock  and 
giving  it  a  bit  of  curly  paper  for  a  lash.  Far 
from  being  an  instrument  of  punishment,  it  makes 
every  child  laugh  with  the  glee  of  possession. 

With  two  sticks  laid  horizontally  we  may  give 
a  little  paper  horse-car,  or  when  one  is  vertical 
and  the  other  runs  horizontally  across  its  end,  we 
may  call  it  a  candlestick  and  snip  a  half-circle  of 
paper  into  the  semblance  of  a  flame.  The  effect 
is  electrical,  though  the  light  be  only  one  candle- 
power. 

And  so  on,  ad  infinitum  ;  it  is  enough  to  give 
the  hint  for  the  play.  We  can  cut  little  paper 
birds  for  the  bird-cages,  tumblers  for  the  rude 
little  tables,  green  leaves  for  the  trees,  etc., 
making  the  stick  exercise,  even  in  its  first  more 
difficult  details,  a  time  of  great  satisfaction  and 
gladness. 

Complete  sets  of  these  card-board  objects,  one 
for  each  child,  should  always  be  kept  on  hand ;  if 
well  made  they  will  last  a  year. 

Enough  has  already  been  said  of  the  possibil- 
ities of  the  sticks  to  show  that  they  are  most 
valuable  for  symmetrical  forms.  They  may  be 


154  FROEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

combined  with  the  tablets,  and  thus  very  pretty 
Forms  of  effects  be  made,  and  when  four  children 
Beauty.  unite  their  material  at  the  group  work 
tables,  the  dictations  and  inventions  produced  are 
of  course  very  large,  and  may  be  really  beautiful 
if  constructed  on  artistic  principles. 

Border  work  may  be  very  fully  carried  out  with 
the  sticks,  and  another  charming  feature  of  the 
gift  is  the  way  in  which  it  lends  itself  to  the 
making  of  snow  crystals.  These  are  symmetrical 
combinations  and  modifications  of  familiar  geo- 
metrical forms  around  the  hexagon.  Mr.  W.  N. 
Hailmann  says  regarding  them :  "  At  first,  it  is 
best  to  give  each  child  only  six  or  twelve  sticks, 
and  to  dictate  the  central  figure  (a  hexagon  or 
hexagonal  star)  verbally  or  by  means  of  a  draw- 
ing on  the  blackboard.  They  may  then  receive 
a  number  of  additional  sticks,  and  let  the  central 
figure  grow,  all  obeying  the  teacher's  dictation,  or 
each  following  his  own  inventive  genius."  1 

In  this  gift,  as  well  as  in  the  seventh,  the 
child's  imitative  and  inventive  powers  are  obvi- 
ously more  greatly  taxed  than  in  the  others,  and 
the  danger  will  be,  if  he  is  not  well  trained,  that, 
as  he  apparently  can  do  anything  with  the  mate- 

1  "  These  forms  are  invaluable  even  as  silent  teachers  of  geo- 
metrical and  numerical  relations.  Used  judiciously  in  conver- 
sational lessons,  leading  to  partial  or  complete  analysis  of  the 
figures  in  spoken  or  written  descriptions,  their  teaching  power  is 
inexhaustible."  —  W.  N.  Hailmann's  Primary  Helps,  page  21. 


FROEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT  155 

rial,  lie  will  end  by  doing  nothing.  The  greater 
the  freedom  given  to  the  child,  the  greater  the 
necessity  of  teaching  him  to  use  that  liberty  in 
and  through  the  law,  and  not  to  abuse  it  by  fail- 
ing to  reach  with  its  aid  the  highest  ends. 

We  may  make  the  laying  of  one-inch  sticks  in 
vertical  and  horizontal  positions,  in  an-  Connection 
gles  and  squares,  a  prelude  to  the  draw-  wiui'i^aw- 
ing  of  similar  lines ;  and  the  copying  of  ing< 
stick  dictations,  either  from  the  table,  or  from 
memory,  into  drawing,  is  a  most  excellent  exer- 
cise, calling  into  requisition  great  correctness  and 
good  judgment,  besides  an  unusual  amount  of 
calculation,  since  the  stick  dictation  will  be  on 
a  scale  of  one  inch,  and  the  drawing  on  a  scale 
of  one  fourth  inch,  reducing  the  original  design 
to  one  in  miniature.  The  child  will  almost  always 
begin  by  attempting  to  make  the  picture  exactly 
like  his  model  in  size  without  counting  the  inches 
and  trying  to  make  it  mathematically  correct ;  but 
after  the  idea  is  carefully  explained  and  fully 
illustrated,  he  will  have  no  further  difficulty  ex- 
cepting, perhaps,  with  the  more  complicated  fig- 
ures containing  slanting  lines. 

We  should  encourage  in  all  possible  ways  the 
use  of  both  hands  in  all  the  exercises  Ambidex. 
with  gifts  and  occupations,  not  only  that  terifcy> 
one  may  be  as  skillful  as  the  other,  but  also  to 
avoid  a  one-sided  position  of  the  body  which  fre- 
quently leads  to  curvature  of  the  spine.    The  well- 


156  FEOEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

known  physiologist,  Professor  Brown -Se*quard, 
insists  on  the  equal  use  of  both  hands,  in  order 
to  induce  the  necessary  equal  flow  of  blood  to 
the  brain.  Through  the  effect  of  our  irregular 
and  abnormal  development,  the  cause  of  which 
is  the  too  persistent  use  of  the  right  hand,  one 
lobe  of  our  brains  and  one  side  of  our  bodies  are 
in  a  neglected  and  weakened  condition,  and  the 
evils  resulting  from  this  weakness  are  many  and 
widespread.  Dr.  Daniel  Wilson  says :  "  In  the 
majority  of  cases  the  defect,  though  it  cannot  be 
wholly  overcome,  may  be  in  great  part  cured  by 
early  training,  which  will  strengthen  at  once  both 
the  body  and  mind."  l 

1  "  Whenever  the  early  and  persistent  cultivation  of  the  full 
use  of  both  hands  has  been  accomplished,  the  result  is  greater 
efficiency,  without  any  corresponding1  awkwardness  or  defect. 
In  certain  arts  and  professions,  both  hands  are  necessarily  called 
into  play.  The  skillful  surgeon  finds  an  enormous  advantage  in 
being  able  to  transfer  his  instrument  from  one  hand  to  the 
other.  The  dentist  has  to  multiply  instruments  to  make  up  for 
the  lack  of  such  acquired  power.  The  fencer  who  can  transfer 
his  weapon  to  the  left  hand  places  his  adversary  at  a  disadvan- 
tage. The  lumberer  finds  it  indispensable,  in  the  operation  of 
his  woodcraft,  to  learn  to  chop  timber  right-and-left-handed ; 
and  the  carpenter  may  be  frequently  seen  using  the  saw  and 
hammer  in  either  hand,  and  thereby  not  only  resting  his  arm, 
but  greatly  facilitating  his  work.  In  all  the  fine  arts  the  mas- 
tery of  both  hands  is  advantageous.  The  sculptor,  the  carver, 
the  draughtsman,  the  engraver,  the  cameo-cutter,  each  has 
recourse  at  times  to  the  left  hand  for  special  manipulative  dex- 
terity ;  the  pianist  depends  little  less  on  the  left  hand  than  on 
the  right ;  and  as  for  the  organist,  with  the  numerous  pedals 
and  stops  of  the  modern  grand  organ,  a  quadrumanous  musician 


FEOEBEVS  EIGHTH  GIFT  157 

No  materials  of  the  kindergarten  (save  the 
beans,  lentils,  etc.,  which  serve  to  repre-  Abuse  of 
sent  the  point)  have  been  so  over-used  Elgllth  Glft' 
and  so  abused  as  the  sticks.  When  no  other 
work  was  prepared  for  the  children,  when  helpers 
were  few,  and  it  was  desirable  to  give  something 
which  needed  no  supervision,  when  inexperienced 
students  were  to  take  charge  of  classes,  when  the 
kindergartner  was  weary  and  wanted  a  quiet  mo- 
ment to  rest,  when  everybody  was  in  a  hurry, 
when  the  weather  was  very  cold,  or  oppressively 
warm,  when  there  was  a  torrent  of  rain,  or  had 
been  a  long  drought,  the  sticks  were  hastily 
brought  forth  from  the  closet  and  as  hastily 
thrust  upon  the  children.  These  small  sufferers, 
being  thus  provided  with  work-materials  in  which 
it  was  obvious  that  superior  grown  people  took 
no  interest,  immediately  lost  interest  themselves. 
In  riotous  kindergartens  the  sticks  were  broken, 
poked  into  pockets,  and  thrown  on  the  floor ;  in 
the  orderly  ones  they  were  gazed  at  apathetically, 
no  one  deeming  it  worth  while  to  stir  a  hand  to 
arrange  them,  save  under  pressure.  Sticks  had 
been  presented  so  often  and  in  so  tiresome  a  man- 
ner that  they  produced  a  kind  of  mental  atrophy 
in  the  child,  —  they  were  arresting  his  develop- 
ment instead  of  forwarding  it. 

would  still  find  reason  to  envy  the  ampler  scope  which  a  Bria- 
reus  could  command."  —  Dr.  Daniel  Wilson,  Left-Handedness.  A 
Hint  for  Educators. 


158  FROEBEUS  EIGHTH  GIFT 

Such  an  abuse  of  material  is  entirely  unneces- 
sary in  the  kindergarten,  where  so  many  ways  are 
provided  of  presenting  the  same  truths  in  all  sorts 
of  different  and  charming  guises.  It  is  unneces- 
sary and  most  unfortunate,  for  it  has  frequently 
thrown  undeserved  contempt  on  an  innocent  and 
attractive  gift,  which,  when  properly  treated,  is 
one  of  the  most  pleasing  and  useful  which  Froebel 
has  bequeathed  to  us. 

READINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     Pages  39-45. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     J.  and  B.  Ronge.     33-36. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     239-373. 

The  Kindergarten  Principle.     Mary  J.  LyschinsTca.     103-20. 

Law  of  Childhood.     W.  N.  Hailmann.     39. 

Kindergarten  Culture.      W.  N.  Hailmann.     70-72. 

The  Kindergarten.     H.  Goldammer.     154-72. 

Primary  Helps.     W.  N.  Hailmann. 

Industrial  Art  in  Schools.1     Charles  G.  Leland. 

Drawing  and  Decorative  Design.     Charles  G.  Leland. 

Art  and  the  Formation  of  Taste.     Walter  Crane. 

Manual  of  Design.     Richard  Redgrave,  R.  A. 

Principles  of  Decorative  Design.     Christopher  Dresser. 

Art  and  Ornament  in  Dress.     Introduction.     Charles  Blanc. 

1  Circulars  of  Information  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  No.  4, 

1882. 


FROEBEL'S    NINTH    GIFT 

THE  RING  OR  CURVED  LINE 

"Art  developed  in  the  same  way.  The  Egyptian  temples 
show  us  only  straight-lined  figures,  which  consequently  show 
mathematical  relations.  Only  in  later  times  appeared  the  lines 
of  beauty,  that  is,  the  arched  or  circular  lines.  I  carry  the  child 
on  in  the  same  way."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"The  curve  bears  with  it  in  its  unity  and  variety,  its  rich 
symbolism  to  everything  which  lives  and  moves,  the  most  inti- 
mate relation  to  that  which  the  child  sees,  feels,  and  loves." 

EMMA  MARWEDEL. 

"  It  might  be  said  that  to  produce  useful  objects  is  the  result 
of  the  struggle  for  life  ;  but  the  tendency  to  create  that  which 
is  simply  artistic  results  from  no  such  urgent  need,  yet  it  is 
found  wherever  the  former  exists."  CHARLES  G.  LEIAND. 

"  Thou  canst  not  wave  thy  staff  in  air, 
Or  dip  thy  paddle  in  the  lake, 
But  it  carves  the  bow  of  beauty  there, 
And  the  ripples  in  rhymes  the  oar  forsake." 

EMERSON. 

1.  THE  rings  of  the  ninth  gift  are  made  of 
silvered  wire,  either  soldered  or  unsoldered,  and 
are  whole  circles  three  inches,  two  inches,  and 
one  inch  in  diameter,  with  their  respective  halves 
and  quarters. 

2.  As  the  first  six  gifts  emphasized  solids  and 
divided  solids,  the  seventh,  the  plane,   and  the 


160  FEOEBEVS  NINTH  GIFT 

eighth,  the  straight  line,  so  the  ninth,  the  ring, 
embodies  the  curve,  and  illustrates  the  circumfer- 
ence of  the  sphere  and  the  edge  of  the  cylinder. 

3.  All  the  objects  hitherto  used  have,  with  the 
exception  of   the    ball    and    cylinder,  dealt  with 
straight  lines  and  the  figures  formed  by  those 
lines.     We  now  begin  a  series  of  exercises  with 
the  curve,  and  the  variety  of  symmetrical  figures 
that  can  be  constructed  is  immensely  increased. 

4.  Much  new  knowledge  can  be  conveyed  by 
means  of  this  fresh  material,  a  complete  set  of 
new  figures  may  be  produced,  and  the  imitation 
of  objects  passes  from  that  of  things  constructed 
by  man,  which  are  mostly  rectilinear,  to  those  of 
nature  in   which  curved  lines   in  every  possible 
variety  prevail. 

5.  The  geometrical  forms    illustrated   in   this 
gift  are :  — 

f  Circles. 

Semicircles. 
Planes.  <  Quadrants. 

Sectors. 
1^  Segments. 

By   the   union   of   straight   and   curved    lines 
(sticks    and  rings)  the    entire   geometry   of   the 
circle  may  be  illustrated,  and  the  child  may  thus 
become  acquainted  with  the  appearance  of  the 
Diameter.  Radius. 

Circumference.         Chord. 
Arc. 


FROEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT  161 

6.  The  law  of  mediation  of  contrasts  is  shown 
as  follows :  the  semicircles,  when  placed  on  the 
table  with  ends  towards  right  or  left,  connect 
points  of  opposite  direction  up  and  down,  and 
when  placed  with  ends  pointing  upward  or  down- 
ward they  connect  the  right  with  the  left  side. 

The  circle  is  of  course  an  unending  line  traced 
from  a  given  point  back  to  itself,  according  to 
certain  laws,  but  it  is  also  a  union  of  two  semi- 
circles curving  outward  in  opposite  directions. 
"It  is  a  representation  of  the  general  law,  since 
the  periphery  and  centre  stand  in  contrast  to  each 
other,  and  are  connected  by  the  radii."  —  (Froe- 
bel.) 

Having  already  analyzed  straight  lines  in  the 

sticks,  we  will  pass  directly  to  the  con-  The  New 
.  -,        .        ,.    ,        •     i    •      i  .        P  Gift  and  its 

sideration  ot  the  ninth  in  the  series  01   charms. 

Froebel's  gifts,  the  rings,  which  are  whole,  half, 
and  quarter  circles  of  bright  silvered  wire. 

If  the  sticks  were  fascinating  to  the  child  as 
the  embodied  straight  edge  or  line,  and  perfect 
treasure-houses  of  new  possibilities  to  the  kinder- 
gartner,  the  rings  are  just  a  bit  more  delightful 
as,  with  their  glittering  surface  and  curved  lines, 
and  their  wonderful  property  of  having  neither 
beginning  nor  end,  they  are  quite  different  in 
appearance  from  anything  which  precedes  or  fol- 
lows them.  Of  course  the  child  sees  at  once  that 
here  is  an  entirely  new  field  for  invention,  and  he 


162  FROEBEVS  NINTH  GIFT 

hastens  to  possess  it,  fully  conscious  of  his  power 
of  combining  the  new  elements. 

We  must  first  discuss  the  new  form  with  the 
introduction  children  so  as  to  be  certain  that  they 
of  the  Ring.  fully  understand  its  relation  to  the 
other  gifts.  Perhaps  in  a  previous  exercise 
with  the  eighth  gift  we  have  allowed  the  chil- 
dren to  experiment  with  a  stick,  and  to  break  it 
partially  in  a  number  of  places  so  as  to  produce 
a  measurably  correct  curved  line,  afterwards 
promising  them  that  they  should  soon  have  per- 
fect curves  to  play  with.  This  exercise  has  its 
value  because  it  illustrates  practically  that  a 
curved  line  is  one  which  changes  its  direction  at 
every  point. 

Let  us  see  when  to-day's  play  begins  if  the 
children  can  think  of  any  way  to  make  such 
curves,  save  by  the  stick  already  used.  Some 
quick-witted  little  one  will  remember  at  once 
the  surface  of  the  ball  and  his  repeated  experi- 
ments in  dividing  it,  and  will  suggest  in  suffi- 
ciently plain  words  that  a  curved  line  might  be 
made  from  a  clay  sphere.  His  neighbor  thinks 
a  clay  cylinder  would  make  one  more  easily,  and 
both  experiments  are  tried  by  all  the  children 
with  a  resultant  of  quite  perfect  clay  rings. 
Then  some  one  wants  to  make  paper  rings,  and 
some  one  else  cloth  rings,  and  the  wise  kinder- 
gartner  encourages  all  this  experimenting,  know- 
ing that  "  the  power  of  memory  increases  in  the 


FROEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT  163 

same   ratio   as   delight,   animation,  and   joy   are 
connected  with  free  mental  activity." 

When  the  wire  rings  are  at  last  given,  some 
conversation  about  their  material  will  Materialo£ 
be  pleasant  and  timely,  as  it  is  of  a  theRm&s- 
kind  we  have  not  had  before  in  the  gifts,  and 
shall  not  have  again.  The  children  will  see 
that  it  is  akin  to  the  substance  of  which  their 
sewing  and  weaving  needles  and  their  scissors 
are  made,  and  possibly  some  one  may  know  that 
both  are  products  of  iron.  At  this  juncture  it 
may  be  well  to  show  a  piece  of  iron,  to  let  the 
children  handle  it  and  note  its  various  properties, 
and  while  this  is  being  done,  to  tell  them  of  the 
many  parts  of  the  world  in  which  it  is  found,  of 
its  great  strength  and  usefulness,  and  that  its 
value  is  greater  than  that  of  the  shining  yellow 
gold.  A  description  of  iron  mines  will  easily  fol- 
low, and  the  children  will  delight  to  hear  of  the 
great  shafts  sunk  deep  in  the  earth,  of  the  bas- 
kets in  which  the  miners  travel  up  and  down,  of 
the  darkness  underground  where  they  toil  all 
day  with  pick  and  shovel,  of  the  safety  lamps 
they  carry  in  their  caps,  of  the  mules  that  drag 
the  loads  of  iron  ore  to  and  fro,  and  —  startling 
fact,  at  which  round  eyes  are  invariably  opened  — 
that  some  of  these  mules  have  their  stables  down 
in  the  ground  below,  and  never  come  up  where 
the  sun  shines  and  the  flowers  bloom.  If  there  is 
a  foundry  in  the  vicinity  of  the  kindergarten, 


164  FROEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT 

and  we  can  take  the  little  ones  to  see  the  huge 
furnaces,  the  intense  fires,  the  molten  iron,  and 
the  various  roasting,  melting,  and  moulding  pro- 
cesses necessary  in  refining  the  ore,  they  will  gain 
an  ineffaceable  idea  of  the  value  of  the  metal  in 
human  labor,  and  of  the  endless  chain  of  hands, 
clasped  each  in  the  other,  through  which  the 
slender  wire  rings  have  passed  to  reach  them. 

In  the  first  dictation  exercise  several  whole 
First  Exer-  circles  of  the  same  size  may  be  given, 
and  their  equality  shown  by  laying  one 
on  top  of  the  other.  Then  we  may  lay  them  side 
by  side  in  actual  contact,  and  the  important  fact 
will  be  discovered  by  the  children  that  circles  can 
touch  each  other  at  one  point  only.  Subsequent 
exercises  take  up  rings  of  different  sizes,  when 
concentric  circles  are  of  course  made,  showing 
one  thing  completely  inclosed  in  another,  and 
next  follow  the  half  and  quarter  rings,  which  the 
children  must  be  led,  as  heretofore,  to  discover 
and  make  for  themsel  es. 

With  the  semicircles,  which  offer  still  richer 
suggestions  for  invention  than  the  whole  rings, 
another  property  of  the  curved  line  is  seen.  Two 
blocks,  two  tablets,  two  sticks  could  not  touch 
each  other  without  forming  new  angles,  nor  could 
they  be  so  placed  as  to  produce  a  complete  figure. 
Two  semicircles,  on  the  other  hand,  form  no  new 
angles  when  they  touch,  and  they  may  be  joined 
completely  and  leave  no  opening. 


FROEBEL'S  NINTH  GIFT  165 

In  his  work  with  the  sticks  the  child  became 
well  versed  in  handling-  a  comparatively  large 
amount  of  material,  so  that  now  he  can  deal  suc- 
cessfully from  the  first  exercise  with  a  fair  num- 
ber of  whole,  half,  and  quarter  rings.  We  must 
be  careful,  however,  not  to  give  him  too  many  of 
these  in  the  beginning,  lest  he  be  overwhelmed 
with  the  riches  at  his  command.1 

The  rings  should  not  be  used  freely  until  the 
child  is  familiar  with  vertical,  horizon-  Whenthe 
tal,  and  slanting  lines,  and  not  only  b"iutro-°ul( 
familiar  in  the  sense  of  being  able  to 
receive  and  obey  dictations  intelligently,  but  in 
constantly  making  correct  and  artistic  use  of 
them  in  his  creations.  The  practice  with  them, 
however,  is  often  deferred  entirely  too  long,  and 
the  intense  pleasure  and  profit  which  the  child 
gains  from  the  beautiful  and  satisfying  curved 
line  are  not  given  him  until  very  late  in  the  kin- 
dergarten course.  This  is  manifestly  unnecessary, 
for  although,  if  we  introduce  Froebel's  gifts  and 
occupations  in  orderly  sequence,  we  make  greater 
use  of  the  straight  line  after  the  first  and  second 
gifts  are  passed  than  we  do  of  the  curve,  yet  we 
should  not  end  with  it,  nor  accept  it  as  a  finality ; 
neither  should  we  keep  the  child  tied  down  alto- 
gether to  the  contemplation  of  such  lines. 

1  "  The  number  of  rings  should  only  gradually  be  augmented. 
Satiety  destroys  every  impulse  of  creation."  —  Emma  Marwe- 
del,  Childhood's  Poetry  and  Studies,  page  15. 


166  FROEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT 

There  is  no  need  of  exhausting  all  the  possibil- 
ities of  the  straight  line  before  beginning  work 
with  the  curve,  for  sufficient  difficulties  could  be 
devised  with  the  former  to  last  an  indefinite 
length  of  time. 

If  the  child  understands  the  relation  of  the 
edge  to  the  solid,  and  of  the  outline  to  the  body  ; 
if  he  is  skilled  in  the  use  of  six  to  a  dozen  sticks 
laid  in  various  positions,  he  can  appreciate  per- 
fectly the  relation  of  the  curved  edge  or  line  to 
the  spherical  and  circular  objects  which  he  has 
seen  in  the  kindergarten.  He  remembers  the 
faces  of  the  cylinder,  the  conversation  about 
spherical  and  flat  rounding  objects  in  his  plays 
with  the  ball,  and  he  has  seen  the  circular  as  well 
as  square  paper-folding. 

He  will  be  accustomed  in  that  to  the  appear- 
ance of  the  semicircle,  segment,  quadrant,  and 
sector,  and  will  take  great  delight  in  cutting  and 
drawing  rings  and  crescents  if  we  open  the  way 
for  him. 

Although  the  gifts,  from  third  to  ninth,  illus- 
trate  straight  lines,  angles,  and  recti- 


keepthe 

Curve  before  linear  figures,  vet  the  occupations  pre- 

the  Child's  '    -J       . 

Eye.  sent    many  facilities    for   keeping    the 

curve  before  the  eye  of  the  child.  In  sewing,  we 
introduce  curving  outlines  during  the  study  of 
the  ball,  and  work  out  a  series  of  objects  in  the 
vegetable  and  animal  world  in  order  to  vary  the 
mathematical  precision  of  the  making  of  lines, 


FROEBEVS  NINTH  GIFT  167 

angles,  and  geometrical  figures,  as  well  as  to  illus- 
trate more  fully  the  spherical  form. 

We  may  also  use  the  circular  paper-folding  in 
some  simple  sequence  as  early  as  the  child's  devel- 
opment will  permit,  and  we  have,  of  course,  at 
the  very  outset,  the  occupation  of  modeling, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  aids  in  this 
matter,  and  the  stringing  of  wooden  spheres  and 
beads. 

The  thread  game  enters  here  also,  and  makes 
a  useful  supplement  to  the  rings,  as  the  wet 
thread  may  be  pushed  while  it  lies  on  the  surface 
of  the  table  or  slate  into  numberless  different 
forms,  all  of  which  may  be  included  under  curv- 
ing outlines. 

In  linear  drawing  we  give  the  child  lines 
running  in  various  directions  at  the  earliest  pos- 
sible time,  so  that  he  may  not  grow  into  a  strained 
and  unnatural  position  of  the  hand,  for  this  con- 
stant drawing  of  the  vertical  line,  which  is  neces- 
sary to  its  execution  with  perfect  precision  by 
the  young  child,  limits  the  freedom  of  the  wrist 
and  muscles,  and  instead  of  preparing  him  to 
write  a  good  hand,  does  absolutely  the  reverse. 
The  various  exercises,  on  the  other  hand,  in 
drawing  the  curves  of  circle  and  oval  and  their 

o 

combinations  are  quite  perfect  preparations  for 
clear,  graceful  penmanship. 

We  also  have,  in  drawing,  Miss  Emma  Marwe- 
del's  circular  system,  and  the  outline  work  per- 


168  FROEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT 

formed  by  means  of  pasteboard  patterns,  most 
of  which  are  of  the  curving  outlines  of  leaves, 
flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables.  When  the  chil- 
dren can  draw  quite  well  from  these  patterns 
we  always  encourage  the  drawing  without  them, 
merely  looking  at  the  object  to  be  copied. 

These  exercises  are  of  the  greatest  value  as 
connected  with  modeling  when  the  subjects  chosen 
for  invention  are  comprehended  under  the  sphere, 
prolate  and  oblate  spheroid,  ovoid,  cone,  etc.,  the 
cube  with  its  straight  lines  coming  last  of  all. 

In  this  way,  while  keeping  up  the  regular  se- 
quence of  lessons  and  occupations  with  the  straight 
line,  we  do  not  debar  the  child  from  the  contem- 
plation of  the  line  of  beauty. 

After  this,  he  takes  great  pleasure  in  uniting 
Uniting  the  *ne  straight  and  curved  lines  in  his 
curravfdtand  inventions  with  the  sticks  and  rings 
given  him  together,  and  is  quite  able  to 
use  them  separately  or  unitedly  in  his  creative 
work.  About  this  time  the  fruit  of  these  exer- 
cises will  begin  to  appear  in  his  drawing.  He 
will  attempt  to  unite  his  straight  lines  by  curves, 
and  even  essay  large  designs  in  curves  which  will 
be  far  from  perfect,  but  nevertheless  will  not  be 
without  their  value. 

The  first  trials  of  this  kind  may  be  in  copying 
copying  the  inventions  in  rings  which  he  has 
inventions.  ma(je  on  hjs  table,  exactly  as  he  previ- 
ously transferred  his  stick  inventions  to  the  slate. 


FROEBEVS  NINTH  GIFT  169 

The  spaces  should  be  just  as  carefully  counted, 
and  accuracy  expected  in  preserving  the  numer- 
ical proportions.  But  this  needs  much  tact  and 
patience  on  the  part  of  the  kindergartner,  as  well 
as  skill  in  teaching ;  for  the  principles  of  drawing 
the  curve  are  much  less  obvious  to  the  child  and 
much  more  difficult  for  him  to  comprehend  than 
the  measurement  and  calculation  of  straight  lines 
with  their  various  lengths  and  inclinations. 

These  inventions  with  rings,  which  are  often 
wonderfully  beautiful,  —  so  beautiful,  in  fact,  that 
the  uninstructed  person  is  sometimes  skeptical  as 
to  their  production  by  the  children,  —  may  also 
be  preserved  in  permanent  form  by  parquetry.  It 
is  furnished  in  various  colors  for  this  gift,  as  for 
the  seventh  and  eighth,  and  is  greatly  enjoyed  by 
the  children. 

If  any  should  fear  that  the  long  contemplation 
of  rectangular  solids,  planes,  and  straight  lines  in 
Froebel's  gifts  should  tend  towards  too  great 
rigidity  and  barrenness  of  imagination  in  inven- 
tive work,  it  is  obviously  within  our  power,  as  has 
been  shown,  to  vary  this  mathematical  exactness, 
which  is  no  doubt  less  agreeable  to  the  child  than 
the  graceful  image  of  his  own  fancy  (could  he 
attain  it),  by  introducing,  the  curve  freely  into 
many  of  the  occupations  and  exercises  with  the 
kindergarten  material  in  general. 

The  rings  are  of  course  not  as  well  adapted  to 
the  production  of  objects  constructed  by  man  as 


170  FROEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT 

were  the  sticks,  but,  nevertheless,  the  material 
Forms  of  *s  no^  without  value  in  this  direction. 
and  know-ty'  Various  fruits,  flowers,  and  leaves  may  be 
made,  as  well  as  such  objects  as  bowls, 
goblets,  hour-glasses,  baskets,  and  vases.  When 
connected  with  sticks,  the  number  of  Life  forms 
is  obviously  much  increased  on  account  of  the 
union  of  straight  and  curved  lines  thus  made  pos- 
sible. Tablets  may  also  be  added  and  contribute 
a  new  element  to  the  possibilities  for  invention. 

For  symmetrical  forms,  however,  the  gift  is 
admirably  adapted,  since  the  child  can  hardly 
put  two  rings  together  without  producing  some- 
thing pleasing.1  Borders  enter  here  in  great  vari- 
ety, tablets  and  sticks  being  added  when  desir- 
able, and  the  group  work  forms,  combining  the 
seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  gifts,  give  full  play 
to  the  creative  impulses  of  the  child,  while  calling 
constantly  upon  those  principles  of  design  which 
he  has  learned  empirically. 

The  forms  of  knowledge  which  can  be  made 
with  the  ninth  gift  are  necessarily  few.  It  is  not 
especially  well  fitted  for  number  work,  and  devel- 
opment of  geometrical  form  is  limited  to  the 
planes  and  lines  of  the  circle. 

1  "  It  is  true  that  the  child  produces  forms  of  beauty  with 
other  material  also,  but  it  is  the  curved  line  which  offers  the 
strongest  inducements  to  attempt  such  forms,  since  even  the 
simplest  combinations  of  a  small  number  of  semicircles  and 
circles  yield  figures  bearing  the  stamp  of  beauty." — H.  Gol- 
dammer's  The  Kindergarten,  page  177. 


FEOEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT  171 

Miss  Emma  Marwedel  introduced  a  supple- 
ment to  the  ninth  gift  in  the  form  of  Wooden 
wooden  circles  and  half-circles  in  many  Rlngs< 
colors.  These  are  much  heavier  than  the  metal 
rings,  therefore  somewhat  easier  to  handle  and 
give,  as  she  claims,  "the  child's  creative  powers 
a  much  larger  field  for  aesthetic  development." 
Of  course,  this  larger  field  is  to  be  found  in 
color  blending,  not  in  beauty  of  design,  as  the 
form  elements  remain  the  same.  The  bright  hues 
are  undoubtedly  a  great  attraction,  however,  and 
perhaps  are  in  line  with  that  return  to  color 
which  was  noted  in  the  seventh  gift,  when  the 
architectural  forms  were  laid  aside.  If  we  adopt 
the  wooden  rings  we  need  not  on  that  account  lay 
aside  the  metal  ones,  for  the  two  materials  may 
be  combined  to  great  advantage. 

The  gift  presents  little  difficulty,  the  dictations 
requiring  less  concentration  than  here-  Difficulties 
tofore  as  the  positions  in  which  the  oftheGift- 
rings  may  be  placed  are  few  and  simple.  Froe- 
bel's  purpose  evidently  was  that  the  child  should 
now  concentrate  his  activity  entirely  upon  de- 
sign, and  that  he  should  use  the  material  by  it- 
self, and  in  connection  with  sticks  and  tablets 
to  give  out  in  visible  form  whatever  aesthetic  im- 
pressions he  had  received  through  the  preceding 
gifts.  The  office  of  the  kindergartner  is  hardly 
now  more  than  to  suggest,  merely  to  watch  the 
child  in  his  creative  work,  and  to  advise  when 


172  FEOEBEL'S  NINTH  GIFT 

necessary  as  to  the  most  artistic  disposition  of  the 
simple  material.  She  may  here,  if  she  adopts 
this  attitude,  have  the  experience  of  seeing  the 
direct  result  of  her  teachings,  for  the  child's  work 
will  be  a  mirror  in  which  she  can  see  reflected 
her  successes  or  her  failures. 

The  idea  of  Froebel  in  devising  all  these  gifts 
Froebei's  was  no*»  ^  seems  hardly  necessary  to 
say,  to  instruct  the  child  in  abstractions, 
which  do  not  properly  belong  to  childhood,  but  to 
lead  him  early  in  life  to  the  practical  knowledge 
of  things  about  him  ;  to  inculcate  the  love  of  in- 
dustry, helpfulness,  independence  of  thought  and 
action,  neatness,  accuracy,  economy,  beauty,  har- 
mony, truth,  and  order. 

The  gifts  and  occupations  are  only  means  to  a 
great  end,  and  if  used  in  this  sense  will  attain 
their  highest  usefulness. 

No  dictation  with  any  of  the  kindergarten  ma- 
terials, no  study  of  lines,  angles,  oblongs,  trian- 
gles, and  pentagons,  no  work  with  numbers  either 
concrete  or  abstract  are  fit  employments  for  little 
children,  if  not  connected  in  every  possible  way 
with  their  home  pleasures  and  the  natural  objects 
of  their  love.  Only  when  thus  connected  do  they 
produce  real  interest,  only  thus  can  agreement 
with  the  child's  inner  wants  be  secured. 

Actual  experiences  in  the  child's  life  are  its 
most  natural  and  potent  teachers.  We  need  con- 
stantly to  remember  that  the  prime  value  of  the 


FROEBEUS  NINTH  GIFT  173 

kindergarten  lies  in  its  personal  influence  upon 
individuals,  and  seek  to  develop  each  separate 
member  of  our  class  according  to  his  possibilities. 
The  objection  has  been  made  that  the  study  and 
practice  with  straight  lines,  angles,  geo-  An  ob- 

0  jection  an- 

metrical  forms,  cubes,  and  other  rec-  swered. 
tangular  solids  would  fit  the  child  for  later  work 
in  the  exact  and  mathematical  sciences  more  than 
for  other  branches  of  study.  But  yet  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  see  how,  when  the  child's  powers  of  obser- 
vation are  so  carefully  trained  in  every  way  ;  when 
he  is  constantly  led  to  notice  objects  in  nature 
and  reproduce  them  with  clay,  pencil,  chalk,  or 
needle  ;  when  these  objects  are  so  frequently  pre- 
sented for  his  critical  inspection  and  comparison  ; 
when  he  is  led  to  see  in  the  flowers,  plants,  rocks, 
and  stars,  the  unity  which  holds  together  every- 
thing in  the  universe ;  when  beauty  and  harmony, 
mingled  freely,  constitute  the  atmosphere  of  the 
ideal  kindergarten,  —  it  is  difficult  indeed  to  see 
how  he  can  receive  anything  but  benefit  from  the 
gift  plays,  which  present  at  first  mainly  the 
straight  line,  seemingly  deferring  the  curve  to  a 
later  period  when  it  can  be  managed  more  suc- 
cessfully. 

READINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

Paradise  of  Childhood.     Edward  Wiebe.     Pages  45,  46. 
Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     373-417. 
The  Kindergarten.     H.  Goldammer.     173-78. 
The  Kindergarten.     Principles  of  Froebel's  System.     Emily 
Shirreff.     17-20. 


174  FROEBEVS  NINTH  GIFT 

Industrial  Art  in  Schools.1     Charles  G.  Leland. 
Childhood's  Poetry  and  Studies.      With  Diagrams.     Emma 
Marwedel. 

The  Grammar  of  Ornament.     Owen  Jones. 

Art.     Sir  John  Lubbock. 

How  to  Judge  a  Picture.     Van  Dyke. 

1  Circulars  of  Information  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  No. 

4,  1882. 


FROEBEL'S  TENTH   GIFT 

THE   POINT 

"  The  awakening  mind  of  the  child  ...  is  led  from  the  ma- 
terial body  and  its  regular  division  to  the  contemplation  of  the 
surface,  from  this  to  the  contemplation  of  the  line  and  to  the 
point  made  visible."  FRIEDRICH  FROEBEL. 

"And  it  is  precisely  thus  that  the  first  artistic  work  of  pri- 
meval man  occurs  ;  he  begins  by  the  forming  of  simple  rows,  as 
strings  of  beads,  or  of  shells,  for  instance."  H.  POESCHE. 

"  For  the  last  step  in  this  analysis  the  child  receives  small 
lentil  seeds  or  pebbles  —  concrete  points,  so  to  speak  —  with 
which  he  constructs  the  most  wonderful  pictures." 

W.  N.  HAILMANN. 

1.  THE  point  made  concrete,  which  forms  the 
tenth  and  last  of  Froebel's  gifts,  is  represented 
by  many  natural  objects,  by  beans,  lentils,  peb- 
bles, shells,  leaves,  and  buds  of  flowers,  by  seeds 
of   various  kinds,  as  well  as  by  tiny  spheres  of 
clay  and  bits  of  wood  and  cork. 

2.  We  have  been  moving  by  gradual  analysis 
from   the    solid   through   the    divided   solid,  the 
plane  and  the  line,  and  thus  have  reached  in  logi- 
cal sequence  the  point,  into  a  series  of  which  the 
line  may  be  resolved. 

3.  The  point  which  was  visible  in  the  preced- 
ing gifts,  but  inseparable  from  them,  now  in  the 


176  FROEBEL'S   TENTH  GIFT 

tenth  gift  has  an  existence  of  its  own.  Al- 
though it  is  an  imaginary  quantity  having  neither 
length,  breadth,  nor  thickness,  yet  it  is  here  illus- 
trated by  tangible  objects  which  the  child  can 
handle.  By  its  very  lack  of  individuality,  it  lends 
itself  to  many  charming  plays  and  transforma- 
tions. 

4.  By  the  use  of   the  point   the   child   learns 
practically  the  composition  of  the  line,  that  its 
direction  is  determined  by  two  points,  that  the 
shortest  distance  between  two  points  is  a  straight 
line,  and  that  a  curved  line  is  one  which  changes 
its  direction  at  every  point.     The  gift  closes  the 
series  of  objects  obtained  by  analysis  from  the 
solid,  and  prepares  for  the  occupations  which  are 
developed  by  synthesis  from  the  point. 

5.  The  outlines  of  all  geometrical  plane  figures 
both   rectilinear   and   curvilinear    may   be    illus- 
trated  with   the   point   as  well   as  straight  and 
curved  lines  and  angles  of  every  degree. 

6.  The   law  of   mediation   of   contrasts   is  no 
longer  illustrated  in  the  gift  itself,  but  simply 
governs  the  use  of  the  material.     All  lines  and 
outlines  of  planes  made  with  a  series  of  dots  show 
its  workings,  and  the  symmetrical  figures,  as  we 
have   noted  from   the   first,  owe  to  it  their  very 
existence. 


FEOEBEUS   TENTH  GIFT  177 

When  we  begin  upon  a  consideration  of  the 
tenth  gift,  the  last  link  in  the  chain  of  Meeting. 
objects  which  Froebel  devised  to  "  pro-  Gifted 
duce  an  all-sided  development  of  the  0ccuPationfl- 
child,"  we  see  at  once  that  the  meeting-place  of 
gift  and  occupation  has  been  reached.  The  two 
series  are  now  in  fact  so  nearly  one  that  the 
point  is  much  more  often  used  for  occupation 
work  than  as  a  gift.  This  convergence  of  the 
series  in  regard  to  their  practical  use  was  first 
noted  in  the  tablets,  and  has  grown  more  and 
more  marked  with  each  succeeding  object. 

Though  the  point  is  in  truth  the  last  step 
which  the  child  takes  in  the  sequence  of  gifts  as 
he  journeys  toward  the  abstract,  yet  we  are  met 
at  once  in  practice  by  the  apparently  inconsistent 
fact  that  it  is  one  of  the  first  presented  in  the 
kindergarten.  This  can  only  be  explained  by 
the  statement  that  it  is  in  truth  quite  as  much  of 
an  occupation  as  a  gift,  and  is  used  in  the  former 
sense  among  the  child's  first  work-materials  as  a 
preparation  for  later  point-making  (perforating), 
and  as  an  exercise  in  eye-training  and  accuracy 
of  measurement.  It  is  not  an  occupation,  of 
course,  for  the  reason  that  permanent  results 
cannot  be  produced  with  it,  and  because  no 
transformation  of  its  material  is  possible. 

Before  the  child  completes  his  kindergarten 
course,  however,  he  should  certainly  be  led  to 
an  intellectual  perception  of  the  interrelation 


178  FROEBEUS   TENTH  GIFT 

of  the  gifts  and  their  gradual  development  from 
The  Point  as  solid  to  point,  f or  their  orderly  progres- 
sion according  to  law,  though  it  be  but 
dimly  apprehended,  will  be  most  useful  and 
strengthening  to  the  mind.  To  discern  the  logi- 
cal order  of  a  single  series  of  objects  is  a  step 
toward  the  comprehension  of  world -order  in 
mature  life.1 

The  mind  in  later  childhood  should  be  what 
Froebel  describes  his  own  to  have  been.  "  I  often 
felt,"  he  says,  "  as  if  my  mind  were  a  smooth,  still 
pool  scarce  a  handbreadth  over,  or  even  a  single 
water-drop,  in  which  surrounding  things  were 
clearly  mirrored,  while  the  blue  vault  of  the  sky 
was  seen  as  well,  reaching  far  away  and  above." 

When  the  derivation  of  plane  and  of  straight 
and  curved  line  and  their  place  in  the  gifts  are 
clearly  understood  by  the  child,  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  gaining  an  equally  clear  apprehension 
of  the  point  and  its  position  in  the  series.  This 
may  be  done  somewhat  as  follows.  When  the 
children  are  playing  with  blocks  on  some  occa- 
sion, we  may  direct  the  conversation  to  the 
essential  characteristics  of  the  cube,  its  faces, 
edges,  and  corners.  Do  they  remember  which 

1  "This  coming-out  of  the  child  from  the  outer  and  super- 
ficial and  his  entrance  into  the  inner  view  of  things,  which, 
because  it  is  inner,  leads  to  recognition,  insight,  and  conscious- 
ness,—  this  coming-out  of  the  child  from  the  house-order  to 
the  higher  world-order  makes  the  boy  a  scholar."  —  Friedrich 
Froebel,  Education  of  Man,  page  79. 


FROEBEUS   TENTH  GIFT  179 

one  of  their  playthings  is  like  the  face  of  the 
cube ;  do  they  remember  cutting  clay  tablets  from 
the  clay  blocks  ? 

It  is  most  unlikely  that  this  experiment  will 
have  been  forgotten,  but  if  it  has  been,  it  may  be 
easily  repeated.  Speak  next  of  the  edges  of  the 
cube,  and  let  the  children  recall  the  derivation 
of  the  stick.  That  portion  of  the  cube  not  yet 
discussed  will  now  be  seized  upon  by  the  chil- 
dren, and  they  will  ask  if  any  of  their  play- 
things are  like  the  cube's  corners.  Can  they 
think  of  anything;  shall  we  not  try  to  make 
something  ? 

Now  the  clay  appears,  cubes  are  quickly  fash- 
ioned, and  each  child  is  allowed  to  cut  off  the 
eight  corners  of  his  block.  He  has  no  sooner 
done  this  than  he  sees  the  nearest  approach  we 
can  make  to  a  point,  and  proceeds  to  make  a 
design  from  them  while  he  recalls  the  beans, 
shells,  lentils,  etc.,  he  has  used  before  in  a 
similar  way. 

It  is  well  here  to  suggest  making  the  bits  of 
clay  into  tiny  oblate  spheroids,  and  laying  them 
away  to  dry  so  that  we  may  make  a  group  work 
invention  of  them  to-morrow.  Better  still,  how- 
ever, is  the  instant  introduction  of  sticks  or  wires 
to  connect  with  the  clay  points,  and  thus  form 
at  once  the  skeleton  of  the  solid,  which  will  give 
an  ineffaceable  impression  of  the  relation  of 
point  and  line  to  each  other. 


180  FROEBEVS   TENTH  GIFT 

The  pleasure  the  child  finds  in  point-laying 
Pleasure  of  is  not  confined  to  the  kindergarten,  for 
Point-tying  playing  with  beads  and  pin-heads  is  an 

and  String-  ,  .  .          .         ,  , 

ing.  ordinary  nursery  occupation  in  all  coun- 

tries, and  which  of  us  cannot  recall  long  happy 
hours  on  the  seashore,  or  by  the  brookside,  when 
we  gathered  and  sorted  shells  and  smooth  glisten- 
ing pebbles,  and  laid  them  in  rows  and  patterns  ? 
The  mere  handling  of  a  great  store  of  these  gave 
a  Midas-like  delight,  and  what  primitive  artistic 
pleasure  we  felt  as  we  arranged  them  according 
to  the  principle  of  repetition  to  border  our  gar- 
den-beds or  to  inclose  our  miniature  parks  and 
playgrounds. 

The  same  joy  is  felt  in  plucking,  arranging, 
and  stringing  rose-hips,  the  seeds  of  the  ailantus, 
the  nasturtium,  the  pumpkin,  or  the  "  cheeses  " 
of  the  mallow  and  wild  geranium. 

It  will  commonly  be  found  that  the  child 
enjoys  tenfold  more  the  objects  for 


3s.  a  point-work  which  he  finds  himself  than 
the  more  perfect  school-materials.  Imagine  the 
joy,  for  instance,  of  a  bevy  of  kindergarten 
children  set  free  on  Pescadero  Beach  (Califor- 
nia), and  allowed  to  ramble  up  and  down  its 
shining  sands  to  pick  up  the  wonderful  Pescadero 
pebbles.  What  colors  of  dull  red  and  amber,  of 
pink  and  palest  green,  what  opaline  lights,  and 
smooth,  glimmering  surfaces  !  "  Busy  work  " 
with  such  materials  would  be  worth  while  indeed, 


FROEBEVS   TENTH  GIFT  181 

—  yet  easy  to  obtain  as  they  are,  they  are  almost 
never  seen  in  use. 

Smooth,  white  pebbles,  washed  entirely  clean 
and  sorted  according  to  size,  are  not  uncommonly 
seen  in  the  kindergartens,  however,  and  are  espe- 
cially useful  in  the  sand-table,  and  if  these  and 
the  shining  cream-colored  shells  could  be  found 
by  the  children  themselves,  their  pleasure  in  them 
would  be  immensely  increased.  That  this  is  true 
is  proved  by  the  experience  of  many  teachers 
with  seed-work.  One  of  our  own  brood  of  kin- 
dergartners  once  had  a  birthday  melon  party  for 
one  of  her  children.  The  melons  were  brought 
to  the  kindergarten  room  and  there  divided,  the 
small  host  serving  his  guests  himself.  Great 
interest  was  immediately  shown  in  the  jet-black 
seeds  of  the  water-melon  in  contrast  with  the 
smaller  light-colored  seeds  of  the  musk-melon, 
and  unanimous  appeals  were  made  to  the  kinder- 
gartner  that  they  might  be  saved  and  used  for 
inventions.  This  was  done,  and  they  were  always 
called  for  afterwards  in  point -work,  rather  than 
the  beans,  or  vegetable  and  wooden  lentils. 

In  those  kindergartens  where  the  seeds  of  all 
fruits  are  saved  by  the  children  at  lunch  hour,  it 
is  also  noted  that  the  collection  thus  made  is 
always  the  object  of  universal  interest  and  pref- 
erence. 

One  of  the  first  uses  of  the  point  may  be  in 
following  the  outline  of  some  form  of  life  which 


182  FEOEBEL'S   TENTH  GIFT 

the  kindergartner  has  drawn  in  white  or  colored 
Use  of  the  chalk  on  the  child's  table.  This  is  much 
more  fascinating  work  than  the  placing 
of  seeds  one  space  apart,  three  in  .a  row,  etc.,  for 
the  latter  belongs  to  the  "  knowledge-acquiring 
side  of  the  game,"  which,  as  Froebel  says,  is  the 
"  quickly  tiring  side,  only  to  be  given  quite  cas- 
ually at  first,  and  as  chance  may  provide  suitable 
openings  for  it." 

The  forms  drawn  in  chalk  may  very  well  be  of 
curving  outlines  of  vegetables,  fruits,  leaves,  and 
flowers  to  connect  with  the  study  of  the  first 
gift,  and  may  include  any  other  simple  appro- 
priate object  which  the  kindergartner  is  capable 
of  drawing. 

The  more  advanced  child  can  of  course  make 
his  own  Life  forms  without  the  aid  of  drawing, 
and  if  he  is  given  different  sizes  and  kinds  of 
shells,  seeds,  or  pebbles,  often  arranges  them  with 
great  ability  to  imitate  the  shading  of  the  object. 

The  beginning  of  the  forms  of  knowledge  is  in 
placing  the  points  in  regular  order  on  the  squared 
tables  at  the  intersection  of  vertical  and  horizontal 
lines.  Next,  the  child  lays  one  space  vertical 
lines,  three  points  in  a  line,  then  two  space  lines 
with  five  points,  then  horizontal  lines,  angles,  par- 
allelograms, borders,  etc.,  following  out  the  school 
of  linear  drawing,  and  in  this  way  progresses  in 
an  orderly  manner  to  the  designing  of  symmetri- 
cal forms.  Curved  lines  of  course  are  quite  as 


FROEBEVS   TENTH  GIFT  183 

easily  represented  as  the  straight,  and  really 
beautiful  designs  are  often  made  by  the  children 
with  them. 

Tiny  circles  and  squares  of  colored  paper  cor- 
responding to  the  wooden  lentils  are  also  Tenth  Gift 
to  be  had  with  this  gift,  and  afford  a  Pariuetry- 
means  of  preserving  the  designs  in  permanent 
form.  They  are  so  small,  however,  as  to  give  oc- 
casion for  considerable  patience  in  pasting  them, 
and  are  rather  difficult  to  arrange  with  regularity 
without  first  drawing  the  design.  It  is  doubtful, 
in  our  opinion,  if  they  may  be  considered  to  be  of 
any  particular  educational  benefit,  if  indeed  they 
are  not  a  positive  harm  to  the  child  in  that  they 
require  a  too  minute  and  long-sustained  use  of  the 
finer  muscles. 

These  strictures  on  the  tenth   gift   parquetry 
bring  us  naturally  to  the  criticisms  lately  objections 
made  by  eminent  authorities  upon  some  fc 
of   the   Froebel  materials.      The   objection  that 
many  of  them  require  too  minute  handling  and 
too  close  attention  on  the  part  of  children  of  the 
kindergarten  age  seems,  as  far  as  the  gifts  are 
concerned,  to  hold  especial  weight  in  regard  to 
point-work.1 

We  need  not  consider  here  the  physio-psycho- 

1  The  development  of  motor-ability  in  children  and  its  fur- 
therance or  arrest  by  the  kindergarten  materials  concerns  the 
occupations  more  particularly,  and  as  such  will  receive  full  con- 
sideration in  a  later  volume. 


184  FROEBEISS   TENTH  GIFT 

logical  tests  lately  made  of  the  early  motor-abil- 
ity of  children  and  the  results  which  these  have 
shown,  but  simply  concern  ourselves  with  what 
we  have  seen  and  noted  many  times  in  daily  kin- 
dergarten practice.  Is  it  not  true  that  the  laying 
of  beans  and  lentils  one  inch  apart  on  the  tables, 
for  instance,  is  an  occupation  which  requires  very 
delicate  handling  on  account  of  the  smallness  of 
the  object,  its  easy  mobility,  and  the  exactness  re- 
quired to  place  it  precisely  at  the  crossing-point 
of  vertical  and  horizontal  lines  ?  Is  it  not  true 
that  such  work  requires  considerable  effort  from 
the  kindergartner  to  make  it  interesting  to  the 
child  ?  Is  it  not  true  that  there  is  a  cramp  of 
the  fingers,  shown  by  a  slight  trembling,  in  get- 
ting hold  of  the  tiny  object  and  placing  it,  a 
cramp  of  the  eye  in  foreseeing  and  following  the 
movement,  and  a  cramp  of  the  body  accompa- 
nying the  tension  of  hand  and  arm  ?  If  all  these 
observations  are  correct,  or  measurably  so,  if  they 
hold  with  a  majority  of  children,  then  point-lay- 
ing as  an  occupation  clearly  needs  considerable 
modification  in  the  kindergarten. 

"What  are  then  the  objections  to  the  point  as 
illustrated  in  bean,  coffee-berry,  seed,  and  wooden 
lentil?  In  a  word,  that  when  represented  as 
above,  it  becomes  too  small  and  too  mobile.  The 
difficulty  of  using  these  materials  is  immensely 
increased  by  the  fact  that  a  slight  movement  of 
the  child's  table  will  send  them  all  on  the  floor, 


FROEBEVS   TENTH  GIFT  185 

while  even  an  ill-timed  cough  or  sneeze,  or  puff  of 
wind,  will  blow  them  out  of  position.  Point-lay- 
ing is  quite  difficult  enough  for  the  child's  small 
powers  under  the  best  conditions,  and  need  not  be 
made  more  so  by  undue  mobility  in  the  materials 
with  which  it  is  carried  on.  This  criticism  would 
not  hold  of  course  as  against  large  shells  or  peb- 
bles or  as  against  Miss  Marwedel's  hemispheres 
and  ellipsoids. 

The  only  good  reason  for  using  the  small  ma- 
terials to  which  the  preceding  objections  How  these 
have  been  made  is  a  very  good  one,  2ayebe°M 
viz.,  that  if  we  are  to  take  any  concrete  obviated- 
object  to  represent  the  point,  it  should  be  as 
small  as  possible,  since  the  point  is  in  reality  an 
intangible  something,  having  no  one  of  the  three 
dimensions.  This  reasoning  seems  to  be  logical 
enough,  and  it  is  surely  equally  so,  to  insist  that 
the  child  shall  at  some  time  derive  his  own  points 
from  the  cube  and  make  them  as  small  as  pos- 
sible, that  he  may  the  better  understand  their 
relation  to  line,  plane,  and  solid.  When  once 
this  relation  is  understood,  however,  and  before  it 
is  suggested  to  his  mind,  why  may  he  not  use  the 
larger  materials,  even  though  they  do  not  illus- 
trate the  point  as  perfectly?  Any  lack  in  per- 
fect representation  would  probably  be  more  than 
compensated  by  the  removal  of  the  strain  on  the 
accessory  muscles  and  the  gain  in  artistic  devel- 
opment. This  latter  point,  indeed,  needs  special 


186  FROEBEVS   TENTH  GIFT 

consideration,  for  there  seems  no  doubt  that  the 
continued  use  of  such  small  objects  for  design 
leads  to  accuracy  and  prettiness  rather  than 
breadth  and  power. 

If  we  throw  out  all  the  smaller  materials  used 
defeated-"  ^or  P°int-laving>  an^  it  seems  advisable 
als-  so  to  do,  we  still  have  left  smooth  peb- 

bles from  one  half  to  three  fourths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  and  shells  of  any  univalve,  such  as  the 
"money-cowry"  (cyprcea  moneta).  These  should 
be  polished,  as  free  from  convolutions  as  possible, 
and  not  less  than  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  To 
these  we  may  add  Miss  Emma  Marwedel's  wooden 
ellipsoids  and  hemispheres,  already  mentioned, 
which  are  satisfactory  in  size,  and  add  the  delights 
of  color.1 

The  hemispheres,  which  are  about  one  half  inch 
in  diameter,  come  in  eight  colors  and  also  in  the 
natural  wood,  are  pierced  for  stringing,  and  are 
similar  to  ordinary  button-moulds,  having  of  course 
one  flat  side. 

The  ellipsoids  in  the  six  rainbow  hues,  black 
gray,  brown,  and  wood  colors,  resemble  elliptical 
shells,  having  one  flat  side,  are  also  pierced  for 
stringing,  and  vary  in  length  from  three  fourths 
of  to  something  over  an  inch,  being  nearly  an  inch 
wide,  perhaps,  and  a  half  inch  thick. 

The  children  are  invariably  delighted  with  both 

1  MarwedeVs  Materials  for   Child-Culture.     D.  C.  Heath  & 
Co. 


FROEBEVS   TENTH  GIFT  187 

hemispheres   and  ellipsoids,  and  need  no  stimulus 
from  the  kindergartner  in  their  use. 

In  some  of  Miss  Marwedel's  pamphlets  on  the 
use  of  these  materials,  she  speaks  of  Mind. 
the  mind-pictures  which  can  be  made  p 
with  them,  and  which  are  of  course  quite  possible 
with  any  of  the  other  gifts.  These  mind -pic- 
tures, showing  form  and  number  groups,  are 
drawn  by  the  kindergartner  on  the  blackboard, 
where  they  are  left  a  second  and  then  erased. 
They  are  then  copied  from  memory,  and  the  re- 
sults compared,  described,  and  criticised  by  the 
children.  This  constitutes  a  valuable  mental  ex- 
ercise, and  if  the  tests  are  simple  at  first  and 
made  gradually  more  difficult  will  be  most  valu- 
able in  increasing  the  memory-span  as  well  as  in 
developing  language  power. 

If  some  of  the  materials  used  in  the  kindergar- 
ten are  unwisely  chosen,  and  if  this  ob-  Abuse  of  the 
jection  applies  in  the  gifts,  especially  to  Glft' 
the  point,  then  the  kindergartner  has  been,  and 
still  is,  unnecessarily  increasing  her  sum  of  error, 
for  no  one  of  the  connected  series  of  objects  (save 
the  stick)  is  commonly  so  forced  upon  the  child. 
It  is  somewhat  unusual  for  this  reason  to  find  a 
whole  class  of  children  really  enjoying  point-work, 
though  several  conscientious  and  industrious  mem- 
bers of  the  group  may  be  toiling  away  with  praise- 
worthy diligence. 

Sometimes   the   children's  feeling  toward   the 


188  FROEBEUS   TENTH  GIFT 

gift  goes  beyond  indifference  and  passes  into  ac- 
tive dislike,  but  in  either  attitude  of  mind  the 
beans,  lentils,  etc.,  are  likely  to  be  mistreated. 

It  is  not  that  the  work  with  them  is  not  in  it- 
self pleasing  to  the  child,  but  that  it  has  been 
forced  upon  him  ad  nauseam,  and  that  the  kin- 
dergartner  has  lacked  interest  in  presenting  it. 
His  own  interest  has  in  consequence  gradually 
died  out,  and  when  once  the  fire  is  cold,  who  shall 
light  it  again  ? 

That  there  is  no  need  of  this  abuse  of  the  gift 
is  clear  enough,  and  it  can  only  come  from  entire 
lack  of  originality  in  using  Froebel's  materials,  or 
from  a  mental  or  physical  inertia  on  the  part  of 
the  kindergartner,  which  causes  her  to  prefer  giv- 
ing out  such  work  as  needs  neither  preparation 
nor  previous  thought. 

HEADINGS  FOR  THE  STUDENT. 

Kindergarten  Guide.     Kraus-Boelte.     Pages  439-53. 
The  Kindergarten.     H.  Goldammcr.     181-84. 
A  System  of  Child-Culture.     Emma  Marwedel     6-8. 
Hints  to  Teachers.     Emma  Marwedel.     49. 
Decorative  Design.     Frank  S.  Jackson. 
Art  in  Education.     Thos.  Davidson. 
Manual  of  Design.     Richard  Redgrave,  R.  A. 
Exercices  et  Travaux  pour  les  Enfants.     Fanny  Ch.  Delon. 
Manuel   Pratique  des  Jardins  d'Enfants.     J.  E.  Jacobs  and 
Mme.  von  Marenholtz-B'dlow. 


GENERAL  REMARKS   ON  THE   GIFTS 

As  we  close  the  series  of  talks  upon  Froebel's 
gifts  and  look  back  over  the  ground  that  has 
been  covered,  we  see  that  a  number  of  important 
subjects  have  been  only  lightly  touched  upon,  while 
we  have  been  altogether  silent  regarding  others 
equally  as  vital.  This  is  doubtless  inevitable  in 
any  work  upon  the  kindergarten  which  does  not 
aim  to  be  encyclopaedic  in  character,  but  a  few  of 
the  more  serious  omissions  may  be  supplied  before 
we  close  our  consideration  of  the  gifts  and  enter 
upon  that  of  the  occupations. 

First,  then,  a  word  on  the  subject  of  atten- 
tion. 

It  is  not  uncommon,  when  discussing  any  exer- 
cises with  kindergarten  materials  which  Difflculty  of 
require  dictation  or  guidance,  to  hear  cmlrS 
complaints  of  the  difficulty  of  holding  the  Attention- 
children's  attention.  It  may  generally  be  said, 
doubtless,  that  when  little  children  fail  to  give 
attention  it  is  because  they  are  not  interested, 
and  if  the  teacher  finds  the  majority  of  her  pupils 
listless,  indifferent,  and  vagrant-minded,  she  may 
reasonably  conclude  that  something  is  amiss 
either  with  the  subject  or  with  her  presentation 


190      GENERAL  REMARKS   ON   THE  GIFTS 

of  it.  The  child  is  as  yet  too  young  to  command 
his  mental  powers  and  "  drive  himself  on  by  his 
own  self-determination,"  and  if  we  enforce  an  at- 
tention which  he  gives  through  fear,  we  lose  the 
motive  power  of  interest  which  Froebel  sought 
to  utilize  in  the  plays  of  the  kindergarten. 

Dr.  George  P.  Brown  in  a  late  article  on 
"  Metaphysics  and  Pedagogics  "  l  says,  "  Every 
one  admits  that  there  is  much  that  must  be  done 
by  the  child  in  his  elementary  education  which  is 
a  task,  for  the  reason  that  his  ideas  of  its  worth 
to  himself  cannot  be  sufficiently  appreciated  to 
arouse  a  lively  and  impelling  interest  in  the  doing 
of  it,"  and  he  adds,  "  Garfield  once  complained 
that  he  had  done  so  long  those  things  in  which  he 
was  interested  that  he  was  losing  his  power  to  do 
that  which  did  not  interest  him,  which  suggests 
the  danger  of  relying  entirely  upon  interest  as  an 
incentive  to  learn." 

That  there  is  a  danger  here  cannot  be  denied, 
but  it  is  one  which  need  hardly  be  considered  at 
the  kindergarten  age,  when  that  interest  which 
comes  from  continued  agreement  between  the 
work  in  hand  and  the  child's  inner  wants  is 
absolutely  essential  to  the  gaining  of  knowledge. 
Mr.  W.  N.  Hailmann  puts  the  whole  matter  in  a 
nutshell  when  he  says :  "If  the  kindergartner 
has  the  penetration  to  discover  these  inner  wants, 
and  the  skill  to  adapt  the  circumstances  and  her 

1  Public  School  Journal,  July,  1895. 


GENERAL  EEMAEKS  ON   THE  GIFTS      191 

own  purposes  to  these,  she  will  find  it  easy  to 
secure  and  hold  the  child's  attention.  Without 
this  penetration  and  skill,  all  else  is  unavailing. 
She  may  sing  and  cajole  herself  *into  hoarseness, 
she  may  smile  and  gesticulate  herself  into  a  mild 
sort  of  tarantism,  or  freeze  herself  at  one  end  of 
the  table  into  a  statue  of  Suppressed  Reproach, 
—  if  the  instruction  or  dictation  has  no  natural 
connection  with  the  purposes  of  the  children, 
these  will  remain  uninterested  or  bored  victims 
of  her  ill-directed  enthusiasm." 

The  plays  with  the  gifts  open  wide  avenues 
for  language  teaching  if   conducted  as  j^g^e 
Froebel  intended.     He  says  many  wise  Teachlll&- 
things    on   this    subject   in   his    "Education    of 
Man,"  and  the  following  is  of  absolute  applica- 
tion. 

"  Our  children  will  attain,"  he  says,  "  to  a  far 
more  fundamental  insight  into  language,  if  we, 
when  teaching  them,  connect  the  words  more 
with  the  actual  perception  of  the  thing  and  the 
object.  .  .  .  Our  language  would  then  again 
become  a  true  language  of  life,  that  is,  born  of 
life  and  producing  life ;  while  it  threatens  other- 
wise, by  merely  outward  consideration,  to  become 
more  and  more  dead."  1 

From  the  first  the  child  should  be  led  to  voice 
his  small  observations  on  the  gifts  in  clear  lan- 
guage and  in  approximately  complete  sentences, 

1  Education  of  Man,  page  145. 


192      GENEEAL  EEMAEKS   ON   THE  GIFTS 

brief  though  they  be.  He  can  as  easily  say,  "  I 
would  like  a  blue  ball,  please,"  if  asked  what 
color  he  prefers,  as  to  jerk  out  a  monosyllabic 
"  Blue ! " 

After  a  little  practice  he  will  use  a  short  sen- 
tence when  comparing  two  objects,  for  instance, 
but  as  he  naturally  moves  along  the  line  of  least 
resistance  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  he  will 
take  the  trouble  to  form  complete  sentences 
unless  gently  stimulated  to  do  so.  The  stimulus 
must  be  gentle,  however,  and  given  at  the  right 
time,  for  any  feeling  that  his  words  are  criticised 
will  lead  him  to  self -repression,  not  expression. 

In  gift  work,  too,  he  explains  to  the  kinder- 
gartner  what  he  is  inventing,  and  for  what  pur- 
pose ;  he  weaves  gossamer  threads  of  fancy  about 
the  objects  constructed,  or  describes  the  forms  of 
beauty  and  knowledge  he  has  built  by  dictation. 

There  is  and  should  be  constant  interchange  of 
conversation  during  the  gift  plays,  and  the  kin- 
dergartner  who  directs  them  like  a  drill-sergeant, 
requiring  her  recruits  only  to  be  silent  and  obey, 
has  entirely  misconceived  Froebel's  idea.1 

It  is  undeniably  much  easier  for  the  teacher 
to  do  all  the  talking,  the  children  serving  as  audi- 
ence, but  the  ideal  to  be  reached  is  that  she  shall 

1  It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  find  the  via  media  between  com- 
plete silence  on  the  part  of  the  children  save  when  answering 
questions  and  a  confusion  of  tongues  like  that  at  the  building 
of  Babel,  but  there  is  such  a  via  media,  and  it  can  be  found  by 
those  who  seek  it  diligently. 


GENERAL  REMARKS   ON   THE  GIFTS      193 

be  the  audience  herself,  or  rather  the  chairman  of 
the  meeting,  guiding  the  conversation,  asking  sug- 
gestive questions,  and  making  wise  comments. 

Our  language  teaching,  however,  is  not  confined 
to  the  cultivation  of  greater  powers  of  expression, 
for  there  is  a  direct  gain  in  the  child's  vocabu- 
lary consequent  upon  his  kindergarten  experience. 
He  absorbs  many  new  words  from  his  teachers, 
but  many  others  he  learns  through  his  daily  work 
and  play,  and  these  are  his  absolute  possession,  — 
the  thing  and  the  word  together.  An  interesting 
series  of  experiments  was  once  made  in  the  San 
Francisco  free  kindergartens  relative  to  the  num- 
ber of  new  words  which  the  child  had  mastered 
and  used  easily  and  freely  after  three  years  in 
the  child-garden.  These  included  terms  of  dicta- 
tion, geometrical  terms,  names  of  tools,  colors, 
materials,  plants,  animals,  buildings,  and  places, 
new  and  poetic  words  of  songs,  games,  and  sto- 
ries, etc.,  and  the  experiments  established  the  fact 
that  the  child's  vocabulary  was  fully  as  great  as 
that  of  his  parents  and  decidedly  more  choice. 

It  should  be  said  here  that  there  is  great  value 
to  the  child  in  learning:  to  name  thing's  Relation  of 

5  t>        Word  to 

correctly  from  the  very  beginning.     If  object. 
the  new  word  is  a  simple  one,  he  can  learn  it  with 
perfect    ease,    and  then  the    object  is   properly 
labeled,  so  to  speak,  for  future  use.1     Familiar 

1  "  At  all  stages  of  learning  the  mother  tongue,  the  purely 
verbal  exercises  are  more  or  less  accompanied  with  the  occupa- 


194      GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  THE  GIFTS 

names  are  sometimes  used  in  the  kindergarten 
when  the  correct  term  would  be  quite  as  easy 
to  pronounce.  This  practice  often  arises  from  a 
false  conception  of  symbolism,  and  is  continued 
with  an  idea  that  it  is  pleasing  to  the  child. 
Sometimes  the  pseudonyms  are  absolutely  mis- 
leading, as  in  the  frequent  speaking  of  squares  as 
boxes,  which  must,  of  course,  confuse  the  child  as 
to  the  real  nature  of  a  plane.  There  are  many 
cases  where  the  geometrical  name  of  a  form  can 
easily  be  taught  if  it  is  given  after  the  object  is 
clearly  understood.1 

There  is  a  distinction  here  as  to  age,  which 
should  be  noted.  Though  with  babies  of  three 

tion  of  the  mind  upon  things.  If  we  suppose  the  child  to  be- 
come acquainted,  in  the  fii*st  instance,  with  a  variety  of  objects, 
the  imparting  of  the  names  is  a  welcome  operation,  and  the 
mental  fusion  of  each  name  and  thing  is  rapidly  brought  about. 
If  the  objects  are  in  any  way  interesting,  if  they  arouse  or  ex- 
cite attention,  their  names  are  eagerly  embraced.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  objects  are  but  languidly  cared  for,  or  if  they  are  in- 
conspicuous or  confused  with  other  things,  we  are  indifferent 
both  to  the  things  themselves  and  to  their  designations."  (Alex- 
ander Bain.) 

1  "  Language  is  the  necessary  tool  of  thought  used  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  analysis  and  synthesis  of  investigation."  (W.  T. 
Harris.) 

"What  we  are  really  seeking  is  the  meaning  and  the  word. 
One  is  of  no  value  without  the  other  in  the  education  of  the 
child.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  valuable  observation  and  in- 
vestigation of  natural  objects  without  language  in  which  to 
embody  the  results  at  every  step."  (Geo.  P.  Brown.)  Report 
on  Correlation  of  Studies  by  Committee  of  Fifteen.  .With  annota- 
tions by  Geo.  P.  Brown. 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON   THE  GIFTS     195 

years  it  is  not  only  delightful,  but  necessary,  to 
use  objects  symbolically,  to  give  play-names  to 
the  lines  they  make,  etc.,  with  older  children  who 
are  nearing  the  age  of  school  instruction  and 
therefore  passing  away  from  the  "  sense  relations 
of  things,"  it  is  just  as  essential  to  begin  a  more 
scientific  nomenclature. 

One  of  the  commonest  errors  in  the  kinder- 
garten, as  well  as  one  of  the  most  per-  value  of 

..  •        ,  i  r  •    ,  •  ,i  i'ii     Knowledge 

nicious,   is  that  ot   assisting  the    cnild  gained  by 

,     .         ,,    ,  .  ,  rp,,  .  .        Individual 

too  much  in  all  his  work.     Ihis  is  per-  Effort. 
haps   more    universally   true   of   the  plays   with 
the  occupations  than  with  the  gifts,  but  even  in 
the  latter  direction  the  practice  is  far  too  wide- 
spread.1 

The  kindergartner  often  forms  his  sentences 
for  the  child,  over-directs  him  when  he  is  match- 
ing colors,  gives  names  to  the  objects  he  con- 
structs without  waiting  for  him  to  do  so,  moves 
his  blocks,  sticks,  tablets,  rings  into  more  accu- 
rate position,  changes  his  spacing  when  incorrect, 
rearranges  his  inventions,  selects  the  colors  for 

1  "  Of  course,  there  is  great  difference  between  the  discipli- 
nary value  of  that  study  in  which  the  pupil  solves  his  own 
difficulties  and  that  teaching-  in  which  the  teacher  accompanies 
the  pupil,  supplying1  the  needed  information  or  suggestion  at 
every  step  of  his  progress.  The  latter  is  not  worth  much  for 
character  building  for  the  reason  that  it  is  not  apt  to  become  a 
part  of  the  organized  self.  .  .  .  The  school  cannot  afford  to  ex- 
pend much  energy  in  acquiring  such  knowledge."  (Geo.  P. 
Brown.)  Report  on  Correlation  of  Studies  by  Committee  of 
Fifteen.  With  annotations  by  Geo.  P.  Brown. 


196      GENERAL  EEMAEKS   ON   THE  GIFTS 

his  parquetry  work,  —  and  all  for  what  reasons  ? 
Primarily,  to  produce  a  better  effect,  it  is  prob- 
able, glorying  in  the  consciousness  that  the  work 
on  every  child's  table  is  exactly  right,  and  blind 
to  the  truth  that  uniformity  must  always  be  me- 
chanical ;  and  secondarily,  to  quiet  her  own  feel- 
ing of  impatience,  which  sometimes  comes  from 
nervous  exhaustion  and  sometimes  from  an  over- 
eagerness  to  get  a  quantity  of  work  done  regard- 
less of  the  method  by  which  it  is  obtained. 

There  is  a  thirdly,  too,  which  is  that  the  in- 
accurate work,  the  awkward  designs,  the  unfortu- 
nate blending  of  colors  which  the  little  one  inevi- 
tably makes  at  first,  so  offend  her  artistic  eye  that 
she  trembles  with  eagerness  to  set  them  right, 
forgetting  that  by  so  doing  she  is  imposing  her 
superior  taste  upon  the  child  and  thereby  failing 
to  develop  his.  We  shall  never  see  this  matter 
clearly,  nor  know  how  to  bear  with  the  crudity  of 
the  child's  work,  until  we  learn  that  the  crudity 
is  natural  and  therefore  to  be  respected,  and  that 
it  is  in  a  sense  beautiful  after  all,  for  it  is  a  stage 
of  being. 

This  vice,  for  it  is  a  vice,  of  assisting  the  child 
too  much  causes  him  to  lose  his  own  power  of 
bravely  and  persistently  overcoming  difficulties, 
and  makes  him  weak  and  dependent.  It  gives 
occasion  for  teachers  to  say,  and  apparently  with 
justice,  that  kindergarten  children  need  constant 
assistance  in  their  school  work,  that  they  are 


GENERAL  EEMAEKS   ON   THE  GIFTS      197 

always  crying  out  for  help,  and  seem  incapable  of 
taking  a  step  alone. 

That  this  is  not  true  of  all  kindergarten  chil- 
dren we  know,  but  that  it  should  be  true  of  any 
is  a  disgrace  to  our  interpretation  of  Froebel's 
system,  which  is,  in  reality,  a  very  treasure-house 
of  self-reliance,  of  self -development,  and  of  inde- 
pendence of  thought  and  action. 

One  of  the  highest  essentials  of  gift  work  is 

that  it  should  not  be  isolated  from  other  Value  of  in- 
terrelation 
experiences  of  the  child  and  concern  it-  in  Kinder- 

1  garten 

self  merely  with  first  principles  of  math-  Work- 
ematics,  with  elements  of  construction,  reproduc- 
tion, and  design,  and  with  unrelated  bits  of  know- 
ledge. 

Froebel  says  in  the  motto  to  one  of  the  poems 
in  the  "  Mutter-Spiel  und  Kose-Lieder,"  — 

"  Whatever  singly  with  a  child  you  've  played, 
Weave  it  together  till  a  whole  you  've  made. 

"  Thus  it  will  dawn  upon  his  childish  soul : 
The  smallest  thing  belongs  to  some  great  whole." 

And  again,  — 

"  Silently  cherish  your  Baby's  dim  thought, 
That  Life  in  itself  is  as  unity  wrought." 

Nothing  is  more  evident  in  all  his  writings,  in 
his  more  formal  works  as  well  as  in  his  autobi- 
ography, his  volumes  of  letters  and  his  reminis- 
cences, than  that  his  lifelong  struggle  was  for 
unity  in  all  things.  He  would  have  this  unity 


198      GENERAL  REMAKES  ON   THE  GIFTS 

expressed  in  simple  concrete  form  in  the  kinder- 
garten by  a  complete  interrelation  of  all  the  ac- 
tivities of  the  child ;  and  the  gifts  as  "  outward 
representations  of  his  internal  mental  world"  may 
be  trusted  to  furnish  us  with  an  absolute  test  as 
to  how  far  we  are  carrying  out  this  principle  in 
our  teaching. 

Whether  or  not  the  necessity  of  correlation 
decreases  as  age  increases  we  need  not  discuss 
here,  but  that  there  is  absolute  need  of  it  in  the 
kindergarten  probably  110  one  will  deny.  If  a 
single  aim  does  not  unify  the  kindergarten  day, 
(or  month,  or  season),  it  will  be  a  succession  of 
scrappy  experiences,  of  surface  impressions,  no 
one  of  which  can  be  permanent,  because  it  was 
slight  by  itself  and  received  no  reinforcement 
from  others.  Such  instruction  only  serves  to  dis- 
sipate the  mind,  to  blot  out  the  dim  feeling  of 
unity  inscribed  there  by  its  maker,  and  to  render 
the  child  incapable  and  undesirous  of  binding  his 
thoughts  into  a  whole.1 

1  "  In  the  broad  view  we  are  safe  in  affirming  that  all  truth  is 
congruous,  and  that  truth  in  one  department  of  human  know- 
ledge will  always  reinforce  truth  in  any  other  department. 
There  is  a  unity  in  all  truth.  While  it  is  true,  as  Dr.  Harris  af- 
firms in  his  Report  on  the  Correlation  of  Studies,  that  the  stu- 
dent does  not  come  into  the  full  consciousness  of  this  fact  before 
he  attains  the  university,  is  it  not  also  true  that  he  can  be  so 
taught  that  he  will  feel  this  unity  before  he  can  think  it,  and 
that  his  feeling  it  will  hasten  the  development  of  the  power  to 
think  it  ?  "  —  Geo.  P.  Brown,  "  Congruence  in  Teaching,"  Public 
School  Journal,  Sept.,  1895. 


GENERAL  REMARKS   ON   THE  GIFTS      199 

What  the  subjects  should  be,  around  which  the 
child's  mental,  physical,  and  spiritual  activities 
may  crystallize,  furnishes  a  fruitful  field  for  dis- 
cussion ;  but,  above  all,  they  should  be  vital  ones, 
for,  as  Miss  Blow  says,  "  Serious  injury  may  be 
done  the  mind  by  developing  concentric  exer- 
cises which  belong  not  to  the  centre,  but  the  cir- 
cumference of  thought." 

It  would  be  fruitless  to  suggest  suitable  sub- 
jects here,  for  if  they  do  not,  on  the  one  hand, 
conform  to  the  growing  mind  of  the  particular 
child  or  class  of  children,  they  may  either  arrest 
or  overtax  development,  and  if,  on  the  other  hand, 
they  do  not  proceed  from  the  kindergartner's  in- 
sight into  principle,  it  would  be  but  "  supersti- 
tious imitation  "  for  her  to  follow  them  out.  No 
manual,  no  guide-book,  no  treatise,  no  lecture,  can 
supply  the  want  of  fine  intelligence  and  judgment 
in  all  these  matters,  and  not  until  the  teacher 
"  comprehends  the  genesis  of  any  principle  from 
deeper  principles  can  she  emancipate  herself  from 
even  the  hypnotic  suggestion  of  the  principle  it- 
self, and  convert  external  authority  into  inward 
freedom." l 

Although  uninterested  and  uninitiated  persons 
doubtless  regard  the  various  gifts  of  Effect  of 

Froebel's 

Froebel  as  very  ordinary  objects,  made 
from  commonplace  materials,  yet  that 
this  view  of  the  matter  is  only  a  peep  through  a 

1  W.  T.  Harris. 


200      GENERAL  REMARKS   ON   THE  GIFTS 

pin-hole  is  abundantly  proven  by  their  effect  on 
the  kindergartner.  Those  of  us  who  have  seen 
successive  groups  of  young  women  in  training- 
classes  approach  the  first  few  gifts  have  noted 
that  interest  is  commonly  mingled  at  first  with  a 
slight  surprise  that  the  objects  should  be  consid- 
ered worthy  of  so  much  study,  while  underneath 
lies  a  half -concealed  amusement  at  the  simple 
forms  produced.  Yet  this  attitude  of  mind  en- 
dures but  for  a  season,  for  as  soon  as  the  gifts 
are  studied  and  used  practically,  it  is  seen  that 
they  contain  possibilities  of  indefinite  expansion. 
When  they  are  looked  at  through  the  glasses  of 
imagination,  it  is  wonderful  how  large  they  ap- 
pear, and  when  one  has  toiled  long  hours  to  invent 
some  sequence  with  them,  one  wonders  at  the 
reality  and  fascination  of  the  forms  produced. 

The  outsider  who  glanced  at  the  materials  has- 
tily would  undoubtedly  suppose  them  capable  of 
only  a  limited  number  of  changes  and  combina- 
tions, but  the  fact  remains  that  every  year  kin- 
dergarten students  invent  hundreds  of  new  forms 
with  these  simple,  insignificant  blocks  and  sticks 
and  beans. 

How,  then,  does  this  change  come  about  ?  How 
is  it  that  the  same  student  who  once  half-scorned 
the  gifts,  now,  upon  the  completion  of  her  course 
of  training,  looks  upon  them  with  affection,  admi- 
ration, and  respect?  It  is  that  her  eyes  have 
been  opened,  and  whereas  she  was  blind,  now  she 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  THE  GIFTS     201 

sees.  Her  imagination  lias  been  awakened,  her 
literary  instinct  has  been  stirred,  and  she  has 
come  to  look  at  things  in  the  child  way,  which  is 
always  the  poetic  way. 

The  effect  of   Froebel's    gifts  upon  the  child 
has  been  shown  directly  and  indirectly  Effectof 
through  the  entire  series  of  talks,  and  SSS^on 
need  not  now  be  recapitulated.     If  they  the  Child' 
are  wisely  presented  and  wisely  conducted,  "  in- 
ward and  outward,  the  limits  of  their  influence 
and  scope  lie  in  infinity." 

Froebel  says  in  one  of  his  letters:  "No  one 
would  believe,  without  seeing  it,  how  the  child- 
soul  —  the  child-life  —  develops  when  treated  as 
a  whole,  and  in  the  sense  of  forming  a  part  of  the 
great  connected  life  of  the  world,  by  some  skilled 
kindergartner,  —  nay,  even  by  one  who  is  only 
simple-hearted,  thoughtful,  and  attentive ;  nor 
how  it  blooms  into  delicious  harmonies  like  a 
beautifully  tinted  flower.  Oh,  if  I  could  only 
shout  aloud  with  ten  thousand  lung-power  the 
truth  that  I  now  tell  you  in  silence.  Then  would 
I  make  the  ears  of  a  hundred  thousand  men  ring 
with  it!  What  keenness  of  sensation,  what  a 
soul,  what  a  mind,  what  force  of  will  and  active 
energy,  what  dexterity  and  skill  of  muscular 
movement  and  of  perception,  and  what  calm  and 
patience  will  not  all  these  things  call  out  in  the 
children."  l 

1  Froebel's  Letters  on  the  Kindergarten,  page  145. 


202      GENERAL  REMARKS   ON   THE  GIFTS 

It  is  not  that  we  regard  the  connected  series 
of  gifts  as  inspired,  nor  as  incapable  of  improve- 
ment, for  it  may  be  that  as  our  psychological 
observations  of  children  grow  wiser,  more  sym- 
pathetic, and  more  subtle,  we  shall  see  cause  to 
make  radical  changes  in  the  objects  which  are 
Froebel's  legacy  to  the  kindergarten.  This  we 
may  do,  but  we  can  never  improve  upon  the  mo- 
therly tenderness  of  spirit  with  which  they  were 
devised  by  the  great  pioneer  of  child-study,  nor 
upon  the  philosophic  insight  which  based  them 
on  the  universal  instincts  of  childhood. 


F76 


